UNICEF recruits 01 Consultancy, Volunteer Specialist Consultant

Consultancy – Volunteer Specialist Consultant to Provide Technical Support to Strategic Communication and Partnerships to implement an Adolescent Volunteer Initiative in support of C4D Strategies (Open ot Ugandan Nationals Only) – 6 Months

Job Number: 519990 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Uganda

Work Type : Consultancy

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a fair chance

Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

Visit this link for more information on Uganda Country Office  https://www.unicef.org/uganda/

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision and guidance of the C4D Specialist, the Volunteer specialist/consultant will work closely with the C4D Unit and programme sections to review and enhance behaviour and social change communication, social mobilization and advocacy activities through a volunteer initiative, focusing on volunteering, networks and partnerships for promoting child rights and to support the implementation of key strategies  including the NIECD C4D Strategy and the Multi-sectoral C4D Strategy for Adolescent Girls.

The consultant will provide professional technical assistance and support for the design, planning and implementation, and evaluation of volunteer initiatives in support of achievement of Country Programme expected results and to leverage more voluntary initiatives for the fulfillment of children’s rights. Support the use of social media to reach, engage and attract volunteers to support ongoing interventions. Work within and strengthen existing structures and social networks to ensure systematic support and implementation of program activities.

Background

The UCO is supporting the implementation of a number of key initiatives and campaigns for the first and second decades of life, across different program sections and sectors. Working with the Target group of 10-19-year-old adolescents girls and boys, He/she will be the key link to the implementation of the volunteer Initiative. This constitutes of the Safe to Learn Initiative, Generation Unlimited (GU) 2030, EU Spotlight Initiative and the Adolescent Volunteer Initiative.  Below is an outline;

Safe to Learn Initiative

Physical, sexual and emotional violence in and around schools affects children and young people everywhere. Globally, Girls are more likely to experience psychological bullying, sexual violence; boys more likely to experience corporal punishment and physical violence. Disabled children are more than three times as likely as their peers to suffer physical violence in schools.

Every child deserves to be safe and secure in school so that they can learn, grow and develop the skills and confidence they need to lead healthy and prosperous lives.  Schools have the potential to be transformative in promoting positive social norms and gender equality.

In Uganda, 94% of girls and 86% of boys say their first experience of physical violence was committed by a teacher. Ending violence in schools will require political will backed by action. The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children is working with partners (UNICEF, DFID, UNESCO, UNGEI and Plan) to end violence in schools. Together, they will galvanize international support and work with partners to achieve campaign goals including (a) Increased political commitments to adopt and implement legislation, policy and practice to end all forms of violence in schools;  (b) Parents, teachers, children and community leaders recognize the devastating impact of violence in schools and take action to ensure schools are safe spaces for learning; (c) More and better financing, monitoring and accountability to end all forms of violence in schools; (d) Raising awareness and engaging the public on violence against children in schools; (e) Inspiring people to take action at a global and national level through public facing communications; and (f) Creating an atmosphere which compels leaders, schools and communities to make positive and lasting change.

In support of this, a proposal has been developed to use public communication in support of the global campaign goals. Examples of such communication includes (a) mapping of safe and unsafe spaces by children to define the type of violence that occurs and the impact on themselves, their schools and their communities; (b) equipping children with skills for effective storytelling for change with content being shared on both digital & traditional media platforms; (c) strengthening capacity of adolescents through civic engagement to raise awareness and inspire change on critical issues in education, health, and protection; (d) effective adolescent participation to identify, report, track, realize positive social change; (e) empowering adolescents using multi-media to advocate for social change in their communities; (f)  amplifying children & adolescent voices & stories for change through collaboration with national and local media

Generation Unlimited (GU) 2030

Generation Unlimited is a global partnership to engage young people, rally resources and coordinate efforts so every young person will be in learning, training or employment by 2030. This dynamic partnership includes young people, representatives from governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector and civil society, as a contribution to the SDGs and rooted in the principles of the United Nations’ Youth 2030 Strategy.

In Uganda child/ adolescent participation is still characterized by fragmented and short-lived initiatives. The National Child Participation Strategy 2017/18 – 2021/22(MOGLSD) was developed to address and streamline the varied forms of child participation at the family, community, district and national levels. However, there are a few formal initiatives where children can have their voice heard and these have been limited in scope and impact.

The aim of Generation Unlimited campaign “Our Time, Our Turn, Our Future” is to focus on three issues identified as barriers to young people’s successful transition from education to employment and from adolescence to adulthood. These issues are secondary-age education, skills for learning, employability and decent work and empowerment, with a focus on girls to optimize on opportunities.

EU Spotlight Initiative

 Harmful Gender and Social norms, attitudes, behaviours and practices – particularly discriminatory gender norms and inequitable power relations between women and men – are a main driver of VAWG in Uganda. The patriarchal system in Uganda upholds values, beliefs and practices that reinforce the privilege of men and their role in society. In this context, VAWG is accepted as an integral part of gender relations.  Substance abuse, a culture of impunity for VAWG/HP, and limited access to economic and livelihood opportunities for women and girls further compound this issue.

Uganda is in the forefront of pioneering primary prevention initiatives, principally those that follow the socio-ecological model that is based on the understanding that violent attitudes, behaviours, norms and practices are shaped at individual, relationship, community and at organizational and societal levels in a mutually reinforcing way. The EU Spotlight Initiative goals are centered on ensuring that prevention efforts follow the socio-ecological model that is based on the understanding that violent attitudes, behaviours, norms and practices are shaped at individual, relationship, community and at organizational and societal levels in a mutually reinforcing way.  Some of the goals include (a) utilizing community-wide (or whole of society) gender transformative approaches to ensure the engagement of all members of communities, including men and boys, to encourage peaceful living by all members of society and (b) supporting the rollout of currently developed empowerment frameworks for young people including the sexuality education framework for in and out of school.

In addition to these UNICEF Uganda is implementing campaigns including multimedia campaigns for adolescents and ‘Go back to school’ campaigns.

The Adolescent Volunteer Initiative (AVI) will drive and accelerate results for key initiatives and campaigns. The goals and objectives of each of these initiatives and campaigns are informed by the Multi-Sectoral Communication for Development Strategy for Adolescent Girls that promotes adolescent empowerment, parental engagement, community engagement, District and National Advocacy. They are also informed by the National ECD C4D Strategy that also emphasizes parental and community engagement alongside district and national level advocacy. Interventions and activities informed by                these strategies will be implemented in convergence districts of Kaabong, Amudat, Arua, Adjumani, Iganga and Kamuli that have Early Childhood Development and Adolescent Programme interventions as these are the two flagship programs for the CO, covering the first and second decades of life.

The Multi-Sectoral Communication for Development (C4D) Strategy for Adolescent Girls promotes a three-pronged approach that effectively engages with adolescents in work that challenges them to develop skills, gain critical awareness and participate in opportunities that are necessary for creating community change.

Critical awareness and knowledge: The process of strengthening the skills of adolescents so that they know how to effectively make decisions, positively interact with their peers, and act as advocates.

Skills development: The process of strengthening the skills of adolescents so that they know how to effectively make decisions, positively interact with their peers, and act as advocates.

Opportunities: The process of providing adolescents with platforms for decision-making and encouraging their active participation in creating change.

Key Tasks:

Produce inception report and work plan for eleven months.

Review and consolidate Work plan and Results Matrix for the Volunteers Initiative.

Identify and recruit Volunteers to support participation, engagement and advocacy at national and sub-national levels.

Strengthen national level capacity for volunteer engagement to support programmes.

Strengthen district level capacity for volunteer engagement to support programmes.

Technical support to conduct capacity strengthening of volunteers.

Support volunteers to conduct advocacy and engagement at national levels with technical support from UNICEF ESARO, UNICEF Kampala, ZO, DLG and PCA partners

Technical support supervision of volunteers to conduct advocacy and engagement at sub-national and community levels with support from UNICEF ESARO, UNICEF Kampala, ZO, DLG and PCA partners.

Implement M&E and document all volunteer advocacy and engagement, including monitoring outcomes such as empowerment of volunteers and results

Document C4D results at district and national level.

Disseminate C4D results at district and national level.

Submit final report with recommendations and lessons learnt on the roll out and implementation of the Volunteers Initiative

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Advanced university degree in the social/behavioural sciences, (Communication, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology) with emphasis on strategic communication planning for behaviour development, social mobilization, participatory communication, and research. Knowledge in HRBA, Child Rights, gender issues and child participation.

A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the planning, implementation and evaluation of communication for development involving advocacy, social mobilization and community participation, partnership building, training in interpersonal communication (IPC). Experience of working with government and civil society groups. Field work experience. Background/familiarity with Emergency/humanitarian contexts is an asset.

Fluency in English is required.

 For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at  http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date Tue Feb 26 2019 21:55:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)