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Organization: Oxfam Intermón
Country: Spain
Closing date: 27 Apr 2017

Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering. As an Oxfam employee, you will join a team of professionals that is part of the international confederation of 18 organizations networked together in 94 countries.

Oxfam is looking to fill the position of Humanitarian Capacity Development Advisor to be part of Oxfam Global Humanitarian Team (GHT). The GHT works across Oxfam and supports countries and regions in their response to crises and supports them in emergency preparedness to become more resilient to future shocks and stresses.

The Humanitarian Capacity Development team has three objectives:

1. Local humanitarian leadership is increased at country level by ensuring that local humanitarian actors are able to implement a Local Humanitarian Leadership (LHL) strategy which ensures high quality humanitarian response and local leadership in humanitarian action.

2. Oxfam staff and partners (particularly in focus countries) deliver and benefit from more effective humanitarian capacity development approaches

3. Support to countries based on unforeseen priority needs particularly for countries responding to category 1 and 2 crises

JOB PURPOSE

This position contributes to strengthen Oxfam’s global humanitarian capacity by providing advice and support to country teams in developing programmes and resources for humanitarian capacity development of staff and partners organisations, and providing guidance and support to Oxfam staff and partners on appropriate capacity development approaches, Learning and Development methodologies and strategies.

Key Responsibilities

To support lead countries and regions to develop capacity of staff and partners to respond to category 1 and 2 humanitarian responses

· Support country teams on a strictly demand led basis with varied innovative and context specific approaches to fill capacity gaps before, during or after the flow of the programme and partnerships

· Work closely with the Humanitarian Coordinators (Focus Countries) to respond adequately to the demands and needs on capacity development from those countries

To support country teams to build their humanitarian capacity

· Assist Oxfam staff (in country offices, regions or global) to design effective approaches which build capacity for contingency and preparedness planning, strategy development and programme implementation

· Support Oxfam staff (in country, region, global) to undertake capacity assessments – of humanitarian staff, partners and allies – and the development and implementation of capacity development plans in-country

· Develop and maintain a humanitarian learning and development framework for Oxfam staff and partners

· Support distinct capacity building events at country or regional level as required e.g. the designing and facilitation of training events

To lead and coordinate the representation of Oxfam in global humanitarian bodies, processes and debates, including global partnerships related to capacity development

· Participate in relevant external networks for the purpose of exchanging learning on key capacity development themes and approaches

· Contribute to development of funding proposals dedicated to capacity development

To ensure collaborative practices and ways of working across Oxfam

Collaborate with specialist teams in the Global Humanitarian Team, Regional Platforms and country offices on the development of resources and the implementation of capacity development and partnership approaches, learning and development methodologies and initiatives

To contribute to the implementation of Oxfam’s strategy for Local Humanitarian Leadership at country level.

· Support countries to implement the programme approach to shift leadership from international to national actors based on facilitating local capacity, ensuring space for local actors to take on leadership in decision making spaces such as clusters or working groups and improving Oxfam’s internal ways of working as a partner organisation.

· Provide methodological guidance and support to country offices in developing capacity for response and leadership of local humanitarian actors including innovative ways of assessing capacity and facilitating capacity development from a system-perspective (beyond staff and partners)

· Support country programmes to develop appropriate, equitable partnership modalities with local organisations and to build on them during humanitarian responses. Examples include engaging in joint preparedness with local civil society and government actors and supporting the participation and leadership of local actors in decision-making spaces such as clusters or working groups

· Work closely with key actors within the organisation such as the Charter for Change Manager and the Local Humanitarian Leadership campaigns and policy lead.

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

· At least 5 years field experience with international and/or national civil society actors in humanitarian preparedness and response planning and implementation;

· Knowledge and ability to apply key humanitarian principles and codes of practice;

· Experience of and commitment to working in partnerships;

· Significant demonstrable experience of designing and delivering training and learning programmes;

· Proven influencing and negotiating skills with internal and external audiences;

· Sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to work and communicate in a wide variety of cultural contexts;

· Excellent teamwork skills and the ability to build good relations both internally and externally;

· Enhanced collaboration and networking skills;

· Demonstrable understanding and experience of gender equity issues;

· Excellent written and spoken English and Spanish;

· Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel, potentially to insecure environments

Desirable

· Partnership brokering experience

· Experience of developing multi-stakeholder processes

· Understanding of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

· Working knowledge of French, Portuguese or any other languages

What can we offer you?

Contract: Contract for 12 month renewable. Spanish labour contract.

Annual gross salary: Salary according to Oxfam Intermon scale

Social benefits: Medical insurance and Accident and life insurance when travelling in the field missions.

Holidays: 28 working days / year (in 2017)

Working place: Barcelona Head Quarters (Oxfam Intermon) with 30% travel worldwide.

Starting date: As soon as possible

Applicants must – due to legal reasons – hold EU citizenship or valid EU residence permit and a valid Spanish work permit. Applications not meeting these conditions can unfortunately not be considered.

How to apply:

Send your CV and motivation letter to seleccion@oxfamintermon.org.

Please put the reference that corresponds in the subject box of the email: ref. 05-17/18

The deadline for applications is fixed on April 27th, 2017. Oxfam reserves the right to modify this date. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Oxfam is committed to the principle of equity, diversity and inclusiveness.

Organization: Li Ch’utam
Country: Guatemala
Closing date: 26 Apr 2017

LICHUTAM is an international development organization based in El Valle del Polochic – Guatemala. The Polochic Valley is one of the most disadvantaged areas in Guatemala, where education is still a privilege only few can afford. Most rural communities in the region are affected by low income, high levels of poverty and low access to basic service such as health, electricity, and water. Since 2009 we have been working to promote sustainable development in indigenous Maya communities through innovative solutions with the aim to improve education and livelihoods of local inhabitants.

Currently our projects serve two Maya Q’eqchi speaking communities, with a total population of 600 people, focusing on following four key activities:

1. Support teachers at the primary school in community of Nueva Mercedes
2. Organize extracurricular activities such as computer classes, arts, crafts, mind-training games and sports for children
3. Scholarship Program to provide support for students in secondary and high school
4. Family Projects: kitchen gardens, teaching planting/harvesting techniques, providing technical agricultural support

We are a small and young organization, a group of eager and practical people who want to make a difference in the world. Currently, we are expanding our team – we are looking for volunteers who are able to take responsibilities within the association. This is a fantastic opportunity for a person that has interest in international development, enjoys working in rural environment and has excellent intercultural communication skills.

Your profile

• Ability to engage for minimum 3 months’ period in the field.
• Fluency in Spanish and English – both written and spoken. A minimum of an undergraduate degree in pedagogical studies, international development, international relations, economics or equivalent. Master’s degree and/or knowledge in alternative pedagogies such as Stainer School or Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppress are advantages.
• Ability to work collaboratively as a part of a multicultural team, but also take responsibility and initiatives independently.
• «Doer» attitude, eager to fulfill goals in a result based management.
• Experience working in rural areas in developing countries.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to primitive circumstances, sometimes rapidly changing situations and tropical climate.
• Experience working with indigenous communities, development of community-based education in rural areas, knowledge and creativity to apply pedagogical games to support education are highly desired.

Your responsibilities

• Running activities of the local projects on a daily basis.
• Taking initiatives to design educational programs and activities.
• Assisting teachers at the local school.
• Develop a trustful relationship with the community.
• Report periodically to other LICHUTAM members.
• Liaise with external organizations (governmental and other NGOs) that serve the same purpose.

What we offer

• To cover all living (accommodation and food) and work related transport costs.* Housing is organized in a modern volunteer lodge with max 3 others.
• Internet connection.
• A unique opportunity to gain work experience in a cross-cultural environment and to work with indigenous Q’eqchi Mayan families in the heart of Guatemala.
• Possibility to improve your language skills and learn about forward thinking development projects.
• A recommendation letter upon successful completion of the assignment.

Joining our volunteer team is a challenging opportunity that suits highly motivated people who pursue for career within international development and want to make a visible difference.

* Unfortunately we can’t offer a salary, health insurance or compensation for flights.

How to apply:

Please submit your application, consisting of a CV and a motivation letter, to info@lichutam.org and a copy to annaheikkinen123@gmail.com no later than 26 April 2017. Please mark “**Application: Global Volunteer**” in the subject field. We will contact all successful applicants to arrange an interview via Skype.

Challenge The conclusions of the Argentine Second National Communication (2008) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) identified core climate vulnerabilities through 2040, including increased water stress; intens…

Challenge Between early 2003 and May 2004, approximately 15 percent of the Dominican population (1.4 million people) became poor, and about 6.5 percent (600,000 people) fell into extreme poverty, due to an economic and financial crisis in 2003 that undermined real incomes. With a recently established Social Cabinet mandated to monitor and oversee all social assistance and protection programs, the Dominican government committed itself in early 2007 to important reforms of its social assistance programs. Central to this effort was locating and providing documentation to poor people who were excluded from social services because they lacked proper identification papers. Strengthening the targeting of social programs, particularly the cash transfer program, was another goal. The government identified approximately 400,000 poor individuals eligible for social assistance programs (subsidized health insurance, cash transfers, and others), but who had been excluded for lack of legal identity papers. Approach The objective of the Social Protection Investment Project was to improve the coverage, targeting, and effectiveness of social protection programs in the Dominican Republic. These programs combined preventive, promotional, and active measures with the goal of improving the education and health investment (that is, the human capital development) of the poorest Dominicans. The project used a multisectoral approach to document excluded individuals by financing an active search for poor undocumented Dominicans and then guiding them through the process of obtaining their identification documents. The active search included the coordinated participation of the Social Cabinet’s institutions, the Central Electoral Council, and the municipalities to ensure the services were delivered to beneficiaries. This component used output-based financing. In addition, the project facilitated the introduction of improvements in the cash transfer program by confirming conditionalities in education and health that had not formerly been verified. The project supported improvements in the monitoring capacities of the education and health ministries involved, and it supported the design of a pilot for a community-based social audit mechanism (Community Report Cards) that was successfully expanded nationally by 2015. Finally, the project supported institutional development and strengthened the monitoring and evaluation capacities of the Social Cabinet, leading to improved targeting, updating the poverty status of the families registered in the Unified Beneficiary Identification System, and consolidating social programs.  

Washington April 7th, 2017 – More than 1.4 million people will benefit from a new loan approved yesterday by the World Bank Board of Directors for US$ 300million to strengthen flood protection in the Salado river basin within the Province of Buenos Aires. “For years we, Buenos Aires residents, have suffered every time it rains due to a decades-long lack of investment.  We are beginning to undertake works which will take time, the sort that won’t be seen in the short-term, but which will change people’s lives. Thanks to the World Bank’s input will be able to invest in improving the infrastructure and strengthening the economy of our Province,” said Maria Eugenia Vidal, governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. “This project is an example of World Bank support to Argentina to improve the standard of living of the population”, said World Bank Vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jorge Familiar. “We will continue working with the country to strengthen infrastructure and productivity, among other issues, so as to promote sustainable growth and job creation.” This loan is part of the “Salado Integrated River Basin Management Support Project”, which will finance works to adjust the river basin in order to contain rising waters and to minimize the impact of floods along 34 km of the middle course of the river and to enhance bridges so as to reduce risks to human life and economic activities. It will also finance the strengthening of institutional capacities for improved water resources management, protecting the environment, and supporting the sustainable management of infrastructure investments. The project will benefit the Basin’s entire population – 1.4 million people – and the structural work will directly and positively impact the populations in the districts of San Miguel de Monte, Lobos and Roque Pérez, an estimated 75,000 inhabitants. The Salado River Basin is situated in the central-northern part of the Province of Buenos Aires, and is of strategical importance not only to the regional economy, but also at a national level. The area’s agricultural production is responsible for 20 percent of national grains and meat production, contributing significantly to national export income. “We need more investment in infrastructure, not just to guarantee the wellbeing of the population, but also to develop a more competitive economy and to create genuine employment. For this reason, it’s fundamental that we have a strategic ally like the World Bank, who guarantees us the financing we need to grow,” said Luis Caputo, Minister for Finance in Argentina. Extreme climate events periodically and recurrently threaten the Province of Buenos Aires through floods and prolonged droughts. From 2000 to 2011, floods generated losses of US$ 4.5 billion and affected more than five million people in the Province. In 2015, the highest level of precipitation on record within the Salado River Basin caused flooding over more than 800,000 hectares, causing the death of over 6,000 cows and losses of over US$652 million. The project will be financed by a variable spread loan of US$300 million, with a 27.5-year total maturity period, including a 5-year grace period.

Challenge Despite advances in criminal procedural reform and more transparent processes, lack of access to justice was a fundamental challenge in Peru. The costs of accessing justice services was high, including formal costs such as attorneys’ and court fees and informal ones such as bribes paid and opportunity costs for time invested in the process. Another challenge was the limited technical capabilities and professionalization of staff at the judiciary and in the Attorney General’s Office, as no permanent system existed to select, evaluate, train, or remove judges and prosecutors. Related challenges to professional development were weak accountability mechanisms and inefficiencies in judicial processes. Finally, the gradual implementation of the new criminal procedural code (NCPC) required coordination and close cooperation among the central stakeholders, including the judiciary, the Ministry of Justice (MINJUS), the Attorney General’s Office, the Judicial Academy, and the National Judicial Council. Approach The World Bank’s 2007–11 Country Partnership Strategy for Peru identified as an essential pillar the modernization of state institutions, with special focus on improving justice and reducing corruption. Additionally, improving access to justice (understood as both having the opportunity to present claims before a competent authority and receiving a timely process) ­­was one of the government’s main priorities. The Justice Services Improvement II Project sought to improve the quality of service delivery of the institutions forming part of the Justice Service Administration System and to enhance access to justice services. Overall, project activities targeted improved justice services delivery, strengthened managerial capabilities of justice-sector institutions, and enhanced transparency and access to justice.   

Challenge The subsystems comprising Mexico’s upper secondary educational structure worked independently and without clearly defined national policies. Also lacking were adequate quality assurance mechanisms to guarantee the relevance of the education provided and to avoid excessive, ineffective, or inappropriate transfers of students between subsystems. These gaps in efficacy help explain the persistently high dropout rate (only about 60 percent of students enrolled in USE graduated) and the low levels of achievement and learning among Mexican students. In 2008 only 15.6 percent of the students in 12th grade scored at levels considered good or excellent on the mathematics portion of the census-based standardized test (ENLACE). Upper secondary education represented a major bottleneck in the education system: few students were graduating, leading to a lack of skilled workers. Preparing Mexico’s workforce for the knowledge economy required a different kind of education system — one that emphasized new competencies and analytical ability and responded to the demands of the productive sector. Approach Between 2010 and 2016, with the Series of Programmatic Development Policy Loans on Upper Secondary Education, the World Bank provided general budgetary support to back up reforms creating the institutional basis for the National Upper Secondary Education System (Sistema Nacional de Bachillerato, SNB).  The development policy loan (DPL) series supported key policy actions to improve the quality, relevance, and equity of upper secondary education in Mexico, and Bank engagement in the reforms proved essential to guaranteeing policy continuity through the changes in ruling party and administration in December 2012. In addition, the technical collaboration between the Bank and the government helped foster reforms based on evidence and international best practices. For instance, an impact evaluation provided information useful in better targeting scholarships to the poor. In addition, just-in-time technical assistance helped overcome some obstacles faced during reform implementation; for example, workshop recommendations on international best teaching practices led to critical design improvements in the Programa de Formación Docentes, the teacher-training program introduced with the reform. 

Desafío Los subsistemas que conforman la estructura de la educación media superior en México funcionaban de manera independiente y sin políticas nacionales claramente definidas. También faltaban mecanismos de control de calidad adecuados para garantizar la relevancia de la educación impartida y evitar transferencias excesivas, ineficaces o inapropiadas de estudiantes entre subsistemas. Esta falta de eficacia ayuda a explicar la elevada y persistente tasa de abandono (apenas se graduaba alrededor del 60 por ciento de los alumnos inscriptos en la EMS) y el bajo nivel de rendimiento y aprendizaje de estudiantes mexicanos. En 2008 apenas el 15,6 por ciento de los alumnos de 12.o grado obtuvo una nota considerada buena o excelente en la parte de matemáticas de la prueba estandarizada basada en el censo (ENLACE). La educación media superior se erigía así en uno de los principales cuellos de botella del sistema educativo: pocos estudiantes se estaban graduando, resultando en una falta de trabajadores capacitados. Preparar a la fuerza laboral mexicana para la economía del conocimiento demandaba un sistema educativo diferente —uno que hiciera hincapié en nuevas habilidades y capacidades analíticas y que respondiese a la demanda del sector productivo—. Enfoque Entre 2010 y 2016, con la serie de Préstamos Programáticos para Políticas de Desarrollo para la Educación Media Superior, el Banco Mundial brindó apoyo presupuestario general para el respaldo de reformas, creando la base institucional para el Sistema Nacional de Bachillerato (SNB). Esta serie de préstamos para políticas de desarrollo (DPL, por sus siglas en inglés) apoyó varias políticas clave tendientes a mejorar la calidad, pertinencia y equidad de la educación media superior en México, mientras que la participación del Banco en las reformas se tornó esencial a la hora de garantizar la continuidad de las políticas tras el cambio de administración y partido gobernante en diciembre de 2012. Además, la colaboración técnica entre el Banco y el gobierno ayudó a propiciar reformas basadas en evidencia y mejores prácticas internacionales. Por ejemplo, una evaluación de impacto proporcionó información útil para mejorar la focalización de las becas en los pobres. Asimismo, la asistencia técnica “justo a tiempo” ayudó a superar algunos de los obstáculos enfrentados durante la implementación de la reforma; por ejemplo, las recomendaciones de los talleres sobre mejores prácticas internacionales de enseñanza derivaron en mejoras cruciales en el diseño del Programa de Formación Docente introducido con la reforma. 

Challenge Pernambuco, a poor, largely arid northeastern state, was characterized by low education attainment. The resulting poorly qualified labor pool was considered a bottleneck to growth and reduced the impact of state-planned investments. P…

Challenge The grasslands of the Pampa biome in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul State support high levels of biodiversity, and the area is considered one of the most globally significant for endemic birds. It occupies 176,496 square kilometers, 63 percent of the state’s total area (and 2.07 percent of Brazil’s total area). These natural grasslands provide forage for approximately 18 million animals, mainly cattle and sheep, and livestock production is a primary economic activity in the biome. In recent decades, the area has gone through a process of intense land use change and degradation as natural vegetation has been replaced by rice paddies, soybean fields, and forests of alien species. The Pampa consequently became the second most devastated biome in Brazil. In 2009, only 35.6 percent of its natural vegetation remained, leading to losses of both biodiversity and socioeconomic opportunities. Consequently, the Rio Grande do Sul government recognized the complex issue of the interaction between agriculture and biodiversity conservation to be a central development and conservation challenge. Approach The goal established for the Rio Grande do Sul Biodiversity Project was to contribute to the protection of natural habitats and biological diversity through the following activities: •  Strengthening state policies and the operational capacity of the institutions charged with environmental management and rural development. •  Strengthening the system of state protected areas. •   Promoting sustainable practices by rural producers in the cattle ranching and forestry sectors that, when integrated into agricultural activities, lead to reversion of marginal agricultural areas to forest. • Increasing knowledge about biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural production systems in the Pampa biome to provide a sound scientific basis for developing a strong regulatory framework for the control of invasive alien species and the restoration and conservation of relevant sites and indigenous species. Though this was a pilot project, the strategy intended to support a small number of landholdings and demonstration units as a basis for strong outreach and dissemination activities to educate potential beneficiaries on sustainable practices.

Challenge As in most resource-limited settings, the health of the population depends on equity and efficiency and on overcoming access gaps in the provision of healthcare services. In 2010, Nicaragua was one of the poorest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2005 and 2010, the country experienced a slight reduction in maternal and infant mortality, with better control of transmissible diseases and improved immunization coverage. However, the health system continued to respond poorly to other health challenges, including the spread of H1N1 and dengue and the rise in non-communicable diseases, creating a double burden of disease. Through the introduction of health reform in the early 2000s, Nicaragua created a new Community and Family Health Model focused on universal access to basic health and nutrition services; health promotion and prevention; access to health services for vulnerable populations of indigenous residents, women, children, and the elderly; and community participation. Approach The Improving Community and Health Care Services Project (and its additional financing) was designed to support the Community and Family Health Model, and it aligned with Nicaragua’s 2009–11 National Human Development Plan (NHDP) and the World Bank’s 2008–12 and 2013–17 Country Partnership Strategies (CPS). The project’s interventions included introduction of the results-based financing mechanism in 66 municipalities; establishment of social contracts for well-being between administrative levels; results-based budgets at the hospital level; development and implementation of the National Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health; strengthened knowledge and skills bases for health workers; improved Ministry of Health (MOH) operational capacity at the central, regional, and local levels, including rehabilitation of health centers; maintenance and repair of medical equipment; and activation of a public health emergencies component. The project also effectively supported several policy goals articulated in the NHDP and CPS, including reducing maternal and child mortality and progressing toward the Sustainable Development Goals. It narrowed gaps in health service coverage and quality for vulnerable groups, and it implemented strategies for the better use of existing financial funds and health infrastructure. 

Challenge With a GDP per person of US$673, Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the poorest countries in the world. In the last several years, a series of external shocks have hit, including the 2010 earthquake, exacerbating the country’s fragility and reversing the poverty gains achieved since 2001. Haiti’s education sector faced tremendous challenges post-earthquake, including significantly diminished capacities for responding to them. The losses of schools, teachers, and staff from the Ministry of National Education and Professional Training (Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle, MENFP) compound the problems of a sector that already faced a shortage of schooling infrastructure, trained teachers, and effective governance mechanisms. On the supply-side, there were simply not enough spaces for children to enroll in free public schools, as four out of five primary schools in Haiti are private.  Tuition, even in the lowest-cost private schools, was prohibitive for poor families, especially for those living in rural areas characterized by poverty rates of 82 percent (77 percent living in extreme poverty). Although access to education has improved dramatically over the past twenty years, due to high demand from families and a proliferation of low-cost private schools, challenges still exist regarding late entry and school progression due to the cost burden on families and the relatively low quality of education. While 90 percent of children aged between 6 and 12 are enrolled in school, they start primary school on average two years later than national goals suggest, and once at school, only 50 percent of students successfully reach sixth grade on time. Approach The objective of Education for All Project for Haiti: Phase II is to support (i) enrollment of students in select non-public primary schools in disadvantaged areas; (ii) student attendance in select public and non-public primary schools in disadvantaged areas; and (iii) strengthened management of the Haiti’s primary education sector.  Project financing aims at (i) improving access to primary education through the tuition waiver program and provision of basic educational services in underserved rural communities; (ii) supporting teaching and learning through a school health and nutrition program, as well as through pre-service and in-service training for primary school teachers; and (iii) improving sector management by building the institutional and monitoring and evaluation capacity of the MENFP