Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust is a charitable organization working in the rural area of Rarieda sub-County in Siaya County, Kenya. Our vision is people believing in themselves and working together to build a vibrant and progressive community. Our mission is to empower communities and build their capacities to create positive change for children and youth within their community. Our values guide our mission: We promote sustainable environmental and socio-economic development to enhance future well being. We encourage creativity and innovation for continuous adaptation, learning and growth. We believe participatory approaches ensure communities own their development. We advocate for human rights to promote dignity, diversity and respect. We encourage accountability and transparency to assure integrity and credibility. HOW WE STARTED Rafiki started as a community development founded by the Director Michele Ostertag and her two friends, Monica and Solomon Ochieng. Touched by the hardships faced by children and villagers, the founding friends began with health treatment and education to the villagers. During the first two years, it became increasingly clear that given the socio-economic hardships of the area, one could not focus on treatment of diseases alone. In September 2003, the initiative was registered as a Community Based organization (CBO) called Lusi Community Orphans Project. The CBO emphasized self-help through income generating initiatives such as chicken and dairy farming, beekeeping and crafts. The profits from these ventures were used to support up to 83 orphaned children with breakfast, school uniforms and weekend psycho-social activities. In 2006 the group decided that a stronger organizational structure and a more robust legal framework was required in order to grow the project into a professional organization. The Lusi Community Orphans Project was therefore reconstituted into Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust (RWMT), which officially began operating in June 2006.
Youth Empowerment Project Coordinator
Purpose Of The Position:
The overall goal of the position is to coordinate project activities for a new grant that aims to reduce youth unemployment by improving the quality of human resources in the region.
The Specific project goals include; expansion of work readiness, life-skills and advocacy training; and expansion of student support services and improvements in student work placement, career counselling and industry orientation services. strengthen entrepreneurship and utilization of labor market information to drive career guidance and career focused activities.
Youth Empowerment Project Coordinator Job Responsibilities
- Enhance Youth Employability Skills
- Organize and improve the reach, quality, and relevance of workforce development training opportunities for adolescent youth and increase their transition into the labor market.
- Lead, as well as co-facilitate workforce development programs for both in and out of school youth i.e. career counseling, basic employability skills (work readiness), apprenticeship/work experience, technical and entrepreneurship skills.
- Support graduates from various colleges and vocational institutions on industrial orientation to enable them integrate into the workplace and bridge various industry mismatch in skills expectation.
- Bridge the gap amongst the targeted beneficiaries on the disconnect between the skills offered in schools from those demanded by employers and society.
- Coordinate student’s training programs by linking real-life projects, coursework and community engagement in addition to the standardized government exams.
Enhance Youth Life Skills
- Carry out life skills lessons amongst the students to strengthen their work attitude and work appropriate behaviours e.g. communication, customer care and social skills amongst others.
- Expand and improve career and life-skills training opportunities amongst the adolescent youth during their education/career path decision making processes.
- Strengthen both young women and men’s resilience to enhance their ability to survive, adapt, and thrive in the rural and semi-rural areas while earning a dignified livelihood through life-skills events, including Gender
- Based Violence (GBV) and HIV programs.
- Organize for learning events including provision of safe place to learn, explore sensitive issues including GBV to address harmful gender stereotypes and gender related issues as well as learn about acceptable/unacceptable behaviors.
- Share and instill the values of RWMT/RTRC to the project beneficiaries.
Enhance Business and Entrepreneurship Skills
- Build youth entrepreneurship skills to succeed in their business ventures.
- Coordinate a six-month business and entrepreneurship training program that focuses on breaking down traditional stereotypes, building confidence, and practical-simplified business concepts on market research, business plan development, capital procurement, and bookkeeping amongst others.
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Engage with the M&E team to define learning outcomes at all youth employment levels and align them to the project goals in order to develop outcomes-based assessment plans that include clearly defined measures, targets, and findings.
- In collaboration with the M&E team, support opportunities for continuous research to identify causes of youth unemployment and under-employment challenges with an aim of coming up with possible interventions to address these challenges.
- On the basis of research, identify ways to improve teaching methodologies, student engagement and curriculum to ensure students are achieving positive learning outcomes, building resilience and essential life, work readiness and business skills.
Internal Administrative Duties
- Develop work-plans, log-frames and budgets and implement the same after review of the supervisor.
- Submit monthly/quarterly/annual project reports to the relevant parties as per schedule i.e. Donors,
- Management and Executive Director.
- Liaise with Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) department on all M&E activities including reporting.
- Build effective working relationships with government institutions, NGOs, and private sector organizations as well as local communities, schools, and religious organizations (other like-minded organizations) in line with RWMT’s strategic plan.
- Represent the organization in relevant forums whenever called upon.
- Provide timely advice to the Management Team on issues likely to affect/impact project implementation.
- Liaise with relevant employees and procedures on all internal requisitions.
Other Duties and Responsibilities
- Perform any other duties and responsibilities which may be assigned by the Executive Director, Trustees and management from time to time and which are related to the achievement of RWMT’s mission and vision.
- Actively participate in the bi-monthly Saturday Psycho-Social Support Program for OVC and Youth and build the community’s capacity to eventually run the Saturday PSS on their own.
Requirements for the Youth Empowerment Project Coordinator Job
- At least a Bachelor’s degree in Education, Business, Entrepreneurship, Labour Management Relations, Civic Education and Development or other relevant disciplines.
- Requires good interpersonal skills with ability to build personal relationships with local community leaders and members, government officials, private sector officials as well as staff.
- Ability to multi-task, stay focused and organized, and works well under pressure
- Experience in Psycho-Social Support, HIV/AIDS program delivery, business, organizational development,
- M&E, and Training is desirable.
- Candidate must have strong verbal and written communications skills, negotiation and administration skills and must demonstrate familiarity with evolving labor and work standards.
- At least Four (4) years’ experience; two of which should be in a project management position.
Project Assistant
Project Assistant Job Responsibilities
- Working with ICS-DREAMS IC Project Coordinator:
- Assist in group follow ups for both farmer’s groups and Skillful Parenting (SP) groups.
- Assist in monitoring of HIV prevention trainees in the three wards.
- Follow up on field reports done by the Community Facilitators and HIV trainees.
- Carry out administrative duties, providing necessary tools that are required by Community Facilitators e.g. attendance sheet, pens and note books amongst others.
- Assist in booking of rooms, requisition of any necessary resources required during projects meeting and workshop within RWMT.
- Make sure both Community Facilitators and HIV prevention trainees submit their daily submission accompanied with attendance lists.
- Mobilize Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and parents of AGYW with the help of community facilitators.
- Carry out regular update of AGYW database and stakeholder database.
- Assist in following up any cases reported by Community Facilitators and HIV prevention trainees in the community.
- Filing and proper record keeping of DREAMS IC reports and documents.
- Provide any recommendations from report while in the field.
- Participate in stakeholder forums, meetings, and events as instructed from time to time.
- Assist in coordination of donor visits and field activities.
- Assist in documentation of project challenges, best practices and success stories in the implementation of the project.
Requirements for the Project Assistant Job
- (The knowledge, skills, and abilities may be required through a combination of formal schooling, self –education and prior experience or on – the –job –training.
- Certificate or Diploma in Community Development, Social Work or related field.
- Three years of experience working in Community-Driven Development (CDD), social work or related field with focus on household and community economic strengthening, skillful parenting, and HIV/AIDS prevention.
- Proven project activities implementation, monitoring and reporting in a rural context.
Method of Application
Interested candidates are requested to email: (1) Cover Letter, stating the position for which you are applying, along with current remuneration or last remuneration, if currently unemployed, (2) Three paragraph motivation statement and why you feel you meet the requirements, (3) Three references and (4) An updated C.V. to: [email protected] by 29th September, 2017. All four (4) above mentioned steps must be followed. Applications not following all steps will automatically be disqualified.
More Information
- Job City Nairobi
