We are looking for a Project Assistant volunteer to be deployed for 6 months in ADRA Uganda.
TITLE OF THE VACANCY
Project Assistant – Livelihoods and sustainable farming at refugee camp Kyaka II, Uganda
REGION
The Kyaka II Refugee Settlement is one of 13 settlements established by Uganda’s government for hosting refugees. Kyaka II is located in Kyegegwa District in Western Uganda, inhabited by 125,431 refugees. The majority of refugees are from Democratic Republic of Congo (119,347), Burundi (3,601), and Rwanda (2,397).
SECTORS
Livelihoods, Food security, Nutrition
HOSTING ORGANISATION
ADRA Uganda which ADRA Slovakia partners in this project is a well-established NGO in Uganda and works with refugees for several years. Currently ADRA Uganda operates in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, focusing on Food Security, Health and WASH programme. ADRA closely coordinates with local public administration, UN organisations, international partners and other stakeholders as well as community leaders and beneficiaries in four receiving zones of Kyaka II.
Currently in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement ADRA Uganda implements General Food Assistance Project funded by World Food Program. In this project ADRA improves availability and accessibility of food to 63,000 refugees through food rations and cash distribution. Furthermore, a housing project, building humble houses for the most vulnerable people with special need it’s being in place since 2020. The building material is sourced locally and the houses, started from a brick are constructed by the refugees under professional supervision. Besides overall improvement of living conditions, standalone showers and toilets enhance the hygiene conditions in the settlement.
SENDING ORGANISATION
ADRA Slovakia has been deploying volunteers across the globe for over a decade. In 2018 ADRA became a certified sending organization by the EU and has been actively participating in the programe EU Aid Volunteers ever since.
In partnership with ADRA Uganda, ADRA Slovakia implements a project to promote sustainable agriculture and food self-sufficiency for the refugees and local population in Kyaka from August 2020. In the past year ADRA Slovakia established a project farm and the necessary infrastructure for training purposes. By September 2021 ADRA managed to train 50 refugees and locals, who generated groups of 10 and more families and provided them further training. Many of them established farms on their own as a group for commercial purposes.
Here you can take a look at a video from our monitoring visit in Uganda in September 2021:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Refugees in Kyaka II settlement are provided with the plot of land with size of 30 x 30 metres for house construction and garden production. Plots provided to refugees are evenly scattered across the settlement alongside hosting communities. Upon arrival refugees are also provided by tarpaulins and NFI (non-food items kits) to settle down donated through UNHCR. Majority of the refugees are able to build simple clay houses with plastic roofing. Through World Food Program (WFP) Refugees are provided with standard food rations (12.6 kg of cereals, 3 kg of pulses, 1 L of vegetable cooking oil, 0.5 kg of salt per person per month) or cash (640 UGX (approx. 0.15 EUR)/person/day) to cover their basic food needs. Kyaka II refugee settlement has also basic water and sanitation infrastructure. Health care for refugees and local population is provided through health centre located in the settlement.
Despite access to land, population lack seeds, tools and other agricultural inputs as well as technical skills for agricultural or garden production. Provided food rations are not balanced nutritionally and without access to fresh vegetables or fruits malnutrition among children under 5 is widespread.
ADRA’s goal is to establish a self-sufficient farm to further support the refugees and locals in reaching food security and improving their livelihoods.
OPERATIONAL AND SECURITY CONTEXT
The deployment area is remote, 43 km from the nearest city Mubende with bad road connection and 192 km from Kampala. The volunteer will be accommodated within the refugee camp, which provides less social amenities. Overall the refugee camp is considered safe for a foreigner. Yet, the volunteer need to be aware that the refugees have a special status under the international law which grants them extraordinary treatment and protection, which needs to be respected. Proper induction training on safety& security, code of conduct a work with vulnerable groups will be provided to the volunteer prior departure by ADRA Slovakia and on arrival by ADRA Uganda.
TASKS
Support development activities of ADRA Slovakia and ADRA Uganda in refugee camp Kyaka II:
- Facilitate the day-to-day management of the activities on the project farm (own initiatives are welcomed)
- Assist the Trainer in farming training of refugees & local communities
- Conduct field visits to local communities to assess their needs and monitor project activities in cooperation with the project Trainer
- Assist the local Project Manager in the administration and reporting of project activities
- Report regularly to ADRA Slovakia on progress of project activities
- Maintain communication with existing and potential partners (OPM, UNHCR, local administration and other present NGOs) and donors on the local and national level
- Contribute to planning further project activities
- Searching for new calls and funding opportunities, reaching out to various donors and participate in fundraising activities in Uganda as well as in Slovakia
- Prepare photo-video documentation of the implemented activities for project visibility purposes
REQUIRED COMPETENCES
- University degree in relevant field (i.e. development studies, or international relations, agriculture, etc.)
- Development/humanitarian work experience
- Experience working in multinational and multicultural team
- Experience working/ living in a low-income country (advantage)
- Work experience with vulnerable communities (especially refugees)
- Work experience in project management or agriculture (welcome)
- Exprience with farming or strong motivation to learn
- English language – advanced both written and oral
- French language – any level (welcome)
- Flexibility and ability to adapt to local conditions
- Willingness to work in a remote location (farm in Kyaka refugee camp)
- Independent and proactive work ethic
- Comupter skills: MS Office, Google office, Facebok & social media
- Interest in photography (welcome)
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The candidate for must be a citizen of the EU or a third country national who is a long-term resident in an EU Member State, and must have a minimum age of 18 years.
DEPLOYMENT PERIOD
February 2022 – July 2022
6 months
WORKING AND LIVING CONDITIONS
Working conditions: The work will be mostly performed in the field i.e. the project farm and refugee settlement. Volunteer will be provided with a laptop and office space at the Training centre.
Living conditions: The volunteer will be accommodated directly at the project farm or in the proximity of the refugee camp with access to electricity and water. Movement within, to and from the settlement will be assured by the project vehicle with experienced driver.
Costs covered:
- Return ticket to the home country
- Visa & work permit
- Yellow fever vaccination (antimalarial pills, typhoid & hepatitis vaccination is recommended but not covered)
- Accommodation
Lump-sum of 300.00 EUR/month to cover communication cost (mobile phone service charges & internet), diet and as pocket money
SELECTION PROCESS
Closing date of applications: 31/December/2021
Interview process: 10/January/2022 – 14/January/2022
Information on the interview process: Zoom call with the participation of two representatives from the Sending organization.
Expected date on decision of outcome: 17/January/2022
Pre-deployment preparation and induction: January 2022
Start of deployment: February/2022 (flexible starting dates at the turn of January-February 2022)
End of deployment: July/2022
Post-deployment activities: The volunteer is expected to provide testimonies (presentation, article, photography, etc.) to support the projects visibility after the deployment within the first months of return.
HOW TO APPLY
Please apply for the position by sending your Europass CV & Motivation Letter in English to volunteering@adra.sk stating in the subject line of your mail: APPLICATION_Volunteer_Kyaka II
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