PUI recruits 01 Protection Coordinator

PUI recruits 01 Protection Coordinator

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization. Our teams are committed to supporting civilian victims of marginalization and exclusion, or those hit by natural disasters, wars and economic collapse by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency. The association leads on average 200 projects a year in the following sectors of intervention: Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Construction and Rehabilitation of infrastructures, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Economic Recovery. PUI is providing assistance to around 6 million people in 22 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and France.

Find out about our history and values

Humanitarian situation and needs:

Venezuela faces a major political, economic and social crisis, with hyperinflation, acute scarcity of food, medicine and other basic goods and one of the world’s highest murder rates. During widespread protests against Maduro’s government, dozens of opposition demonstrators have been killed. The July 2017 election of an all-powerful Constituent Assembly closed down almost all remaining democratic spaces, sparking widespread condemnation in the region and around the world. In recent years, almost 2.3 million people left Venezuela to live, mostly, in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. In the short term, migration places significant pressures on the provision of services, institutions, labor markets and the social dynamics of the receiving areas, affecting most the vulnerable populations in both the migrant and local communities.

Colombia hosts the largest number of Venezuelan migrants (1.2 million), 750 000 on the first nine month of 2018. Amongst them, 24% are nationals who are returning to their home country. Between 70,000 and 80,000 Venezuelan citizens cross the border with Colombia every day. While most return to their country the same day, others stay in Colombia. On 2 August, 442,000 Venezuelans were granted a Special Stay Permit (PEP) providing them legal status for two years.

In absolute terms, Bogotá is the city with the largest number of migrants. However, in relative terms, the border areas (Norte de Santander, Arauca and Guajira) are the most affected, with the migrants representing between 2.5% and 5% of the population. These regions have development lags, which limits their ability to absorb migrants.

Some Venezuelans in Colombia live in precarious conditions, sometimes staying in public installations such as transport terminals, with multiple needs including shelter, protection, health and WASH. Almost 70% of Venezuelans in Colombia are estimated to have irregular migratory status and are particularly vulnerable to violence and exploitation. They lack access to basic services and work. Only 40% of the migrant children are in school, and the migrant population is twice as likely to be unemployed than the local Colombian population. The cost of additional public services caused by migration including education, health, water and sanitation, early care, housing support, employment services and institutional strengthening lies between 0.23% and 0.41% of Colombia’s GDP.

In early February, the Colombian government tightened entry restrictions and security along the border with Venezuela, deploying an additional 3,000 security personnel, and temporarily halted the processing of new border mobility cards. Increased traffic along illegal border crossing routes has been reported since entry restrictions changed. Armed groups control many illegal crossing points, which leads to protection concerns for people using these crossings.

New policies implemented by other Latin American countries will likely worsen the situation in Colombia. Since 18 August, Ecuadorian authorities demand that all Venezuelans must hold a valid passport to enter the country. The same measure was to be implemented from 25 August in Peru. Other countries, such as Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, had already started to implement a special visa policy for Venezuelans. Colombian authorities are concerned that these new policies will lead to an increase in human trafficking, tensions with host communities, and general insecurity.

Première Urgence Internationale positioning

Triggered by the regional outcomes of the Venezuelan crisis, PUI first send an exploratory mission in Colombia in December 2018 to identify the needs and evaluate the possibility of an intervention. The scarce situation of the migrant population and the important humanitarian gaps reported led PUI to collaborate with Solidarités International (SI) to be able to propose an integrated and complete response to the vulnerable population. Two needs assessment led by PUI and SI followed, exploring a diversity of region (Barranquilla, Cucuta, Bucaramanga …) in February and April 2019. Given its strategic location on the migrations roads and the insufficiency of humanitarian actor there, it was decided to launch an intervention in Bucaramanga, where a vast majority of the migrants in Colombia passes before directing themselves to wider cities as Bogota or Medellin. SI-PUI will support local association bringing aid to the migrants, with an integrated intervention contributing to the coverage of health, PSS, protection, wash, shelter and needs.

As part of our activities in the Venezuelan Crisis, we are looking for a Protection Coordinator.

Under the supervision and direction of the Head of Mission, the Protection Coordinator is responsible for setting up SI/PUI’s protection response in Colombia, as well as technically supporting the mainstreaming of protection principles (do no harm, meaningfull access, accountability, and participation and empowerement) into all of SI/PUI’s activities.

S/He will undertake the overall responsibility of the technical leadership of all projects/activities related to protection, support in the recruitment of protection staff according to program description and ensure their proper induction and training (protection principles, GBV, monitoring, mainstreaming, etc.) as well as of the kick-off of protection activities in Colombie including: the development of the protection monitoring strategy, plan, data collection forms and methodology (digital), reports, and staff proper training.

Tasks and activities: 

Support the recruitment and train PUI’s Protection team in Colombia

In line with the intervention strategy, set up and kick start the protection program activities, including protection monitoring and referral mechanisms in areas of intervention.

Develop all necessary protection technical tools to be used for the implementation of the protection program in Colombia, including for protection monitoring, referral, and reporting

Ensure staff technical capacity building and general awareness (general protection, GBV and child protection, protection mainstreaming, humanitarian principles etc.)

Hold a representation and coordination role at all relevant levels (internal and external)

Do not hesitate to look at the job description below for all the details you need.

To stay up to date with our new job offers, join our Facebook group My Job In The Field

Experience: Min 5 years of experience in the field of humanitarian program development and management, including a minimum of 3 years of direct implementation or technical support of protection programming

Experience in liaising with governmental authorities, other national/international institutions;

At least 3 years in protection program management/coordination or technical advisory role in an international context

Experience in working in cross-border displacement contexts

Strong understanding of global protection principles and standards and relevant bodies of international law

Excellent skills in representation, coordination and critical analysis

Knowledge and skills: Demonstrated good knowledge of UN and NGO mandates and programs in the humanitarian responses, refugees, post conflict reconstruction and development/resilience

Excellent planning and organizational skills including the production of evidence-based policy and procedure papers supporting project operations in the country of operations

Languages: Spanish and English are mandatory. French in an asset.

Starting date: As soon as Possible

Monthly Gross Income: from 2 200 to 2 530 Euros depending on the experience in International Solidarity + 50 Euros per semester seniority with PUI

Cost covered:  Round-trip transportation to and from home / mission, visas, vaccines…

Insurance including medical coverage and complementary healthcare, 24/24 assistance and repatriation

Housing: in collective guesthouse (shared with Solidarités International expatriate team)

Daily living Expenses (« Per diem »)

Break Policy: 5 working days at 3 and 9 months + break allowance

Paid Leaves Policy: 5 weeks of paid leaves per year + return ticket every 6 months