VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.
Role overview
As a Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Advisor you will help youth build their skills in advocacy and provide technical support with designing and implementing advocacy campaigns and communication strategies related to Youth and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
VSO Youth SRHR project will contribute to enabling adolescent and young people, including people with disabilities to exercise their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and to be freed from Gender Based Violence (GBV). The project will empower women and youth to lead advocacy and behavior change campaigns on SRHR and GBV issues.
Please note that this advert is for a role we are expecting to become available in the near future once we have secured funding for the project.
Skills, qualifications and experience
•A Bachelor or Master’s degree in social sciences, international development, or related field
•Minimum of three to seven years of professional experience coordinating and managing a wide variety of behavior change, community and advocacy projects and experience developing social change communication strategies
•Proven track record of delivering on successful policy strategies within the development sector
•Experience in lobbying, advocacy and influencing within a range of decision makers e.g. National and Country Governments
•Understanding of a wide variety of advocacy and social accountability programme approaches.
Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:
• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge
Equal Opportunities
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.
Allowance
As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.
Accommodation
VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.
Some background about VSO
In the last 60 years, we have worked in over 90 countries and supported over 50 million people. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation.
Our proven approach works with volunteers of different skillsets, from overseas consultants to youth. These volunteers work alongside community organisations, local and national governments, and global partners. Right now, VSO is bringing justice to rape survivors in Pakistan, building resilient disaster prevention and relief in Mozambique, ending stigma against children with disabilities in Ethiopia and tackling the youth skills gap in Uganda and Bangladesh.
Today over 50% of our people are recruited from within the country in which they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same: create a fair world for everyone.
Your application and COVID-19
We are continually reviewing our ability to safely programme and implement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many local restrictions are being implemented in several VSO locations, which impacts VSO’s existing programme delivery.
We will continue to follow the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national governments to protect the wellbeing and safety of all communities, employees and volunteers.
We’re continuing to build a talent pool of prospective professional volunteers so we can get back to supporting communities as soon as we’re able to.
If your application is shortlisted, a VSO hiring manager will be in touch to discuss the next steps and any changes to your placement and role.
You can read VSO’s COVID-19 statement and frequently asked questions about volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic here.
More Information
- Job City Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda
