VSO Ireland: Urgently needed http://www.vso.ie/urgentlyneeded en Veterinary researcher - Mongolia You’ll work at the State Central Veterinary Laboratory (SVCL), Mongolia’s national research and diagnostic centre for veterinary science, medicine and animal disease control. Your skills and experience are in high demand to train staff in the diagnosis of chemical residue in animal origin products. By building on the diagnostic capacity of staff, you’ll help to establish food safety standards to be met by herders and growers. Once produce can be tested and certified, Mongolian meat and agricultural products become more appealing to local and export markets. This role is therefore crucial to improving the livelihoods of local herders farmers by increasing demand for their products.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/26631 specialist in postpartum depression - Tajikistan During the Soviet period people with mental health problems faced huge stigma. Despite some increased interest in mental health problems, psycho-social approaches are very new, widely misunderstood and under-developed. Following an increase in reported suicides among young people, the government, with support from WHO, is working on a new mental health strategy for the country.
You’ll work with Mercy Corps and its local partners to improve educational and practical support to mothers. You’ll be raising awareness and developing the skills of service providers in this key area of mental health provision. Post-partum depression is not widely recognised and you’ll aim to improving the understanding of its risk factors, symptoms and consequences. You’ll improve the practical skills of health workers enabling them to work effectively with families and women with or at risk of PPD.     

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27311 Rice production adviser - Mozambique You’ll be working with the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture to improve food security and poverty in the Sofala province. The Directorate coordinates the efforts of the private sector, NGO’s and other government agencies to improve agriculture productivity, agro-industry and the commercialisation and sustainable use of natural resources. There’s a long tradition of rice production in Sofala, but the growers are not using modern techniques in order to improve crops. You’ll work together with the department of Agriculture to increase rice production in the region, sometimes coordinating with other government bodies, NGO’s, CBO’s, beneficiaries and other relevant bodies.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/26912 Radiographer - Kenya St Damiano hospital is run by the order of Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assissi in the Bungoma area. The HIV/ AIDS prevalence here is about 10% which is slightly higher than the national average. The Sisters run this 50-bed hospital providing patient care, laboratory and pharmacy services focused on HIV and AIDS. They provide treatment and care to both in and out-patients, work towards the prevention of mother-and-child transmission (PMTCT) and are explanding their VCT and Home Based Care services. Recently the hospital has, as a result of successful fundraising, received a new operating theatre and radiography equipment. Unfortunately they currently lack qualified staff to use this equipment. You’ll use your expertise to train staff and as a result patients will no longer need to be referred to another hospital. In addition St Damiano will be able to accept referrals from other hospitals for patients in need of specialised diagnostic services.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/26178 Potato cultivation expert - Tajikistan Tajikistan is a poor country, where most of the people live below the poverty line, particularly in rural areas. In the past 66% of the population relied on remittances from casual labour in Russia. With the economic downturn, these have fallen by more than 30%, resulting in increased poverty and hunger. With a very moutainous landscape and extreme temperatures, much of Tajikistan’s landscape is unsuitable for standard crops. However duting Soviet times Muminabad was renowned for the quality of its potato crops, considered the best in the USSR. Biotech are working with local producers to update the knowledge and skills of farmers to develop this market once again. You’ll work with local faremrs associations Biotech and Aini to develop and implement modern farming methods in the area. You’ll support locakl producers to improve the quality and quantity of their crops, as well as diversifying with new varieties of potatoes.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27714 Orthopaedic technician - Uganda You’ll be working within the VSO disability programme, which aims to increase access to quality basic and specialised services for disabled people in Uganda. Of a total Uganda population of 28 million, ten percent are estimated to have a disability. Of those, over 1.4 million are children below the age of 16. Disabled people are amongst the most vulnerable in Ugandan society and women and girls are particularly discriminated against as a result of both their disability and gender.

 You’ll support staff in establishing an orthopaedic workshop, producing a total of 500 artificial limbs, serving disabled people across western and southwestern Uganda. You’ll be able to use your skills and experience to help improve the lives of a group of severely disadvantaged people by giving them greater mobility and better access to jobs and education.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/28767 You’ll be working within the VSO disability programme, which aims to increase access to quality basic and specialised services for disabled people in Uganda. Of a total Uganda population of 28 million, ten percent are estimated to have a disability. Of those, over 1.4 million are children below the age of 16. Disabled people are amongst the most vulnerable in Ugandan society and women and girls are particularly discriminated against as a result of both their disability and gender.

 You’ll support staff in establishing an orthopaedic workshop, producing a total of 500 artificial limbs, serving disabled people across western and southwestern Uganda. You’ll be able to use your skills and experience to help improve the lives of a group of severely disadvantaged people by giving them greater mobility and better access to jobs and education.

What does the role involve?

  • Providing technical support and practical advice on producing and fitting artificial limbs to staff in the orthopaedic workshop
  • Supporting the newly appointed project team, in setting up and running the orthopaedic workshop equipment
  • Providing the service to diabled people by leading the workshop team to produce artificial limbs using newly purchased equipment

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll be a qualified orthopaedic workshop technician with relevant experience of working in orthopaedic workshops and technology. You’ll support and train local staff in measuring patients for artificial limbs and follow-up care. You’ll have a keen interest in working in rural communities and a sound knowledge of disability issues. Ideally you’ll have worked with NGOs in developing countries. Above all, you’ll be flexible and have practical problem solving ability, especially where resources are scarce; be flexible and results orientated and able to work effectively with various categories of people from patients and staff to local organisations.

And the rest...

You’ll be based in the Kabale district, which is in the southwest pocket of Uganda. It is an area characterised by a great diversity of topography, landscape and vegetation. Your accommodation will be within walking distance of your place of work and it would be an advantage for you to learn some basic Rukiga to help you integrate with the local community. There are plenty of local foodstuffs available including vegetables, cereals and fruit and during your leisure time you’ll be able to enjoy the varied scenery and activities of the area.

We’ll ask you to commit three months of your time and in return we’ll provide you with invaluable training before your placement, a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation and insurance. When you return to your home country, we’ll help you to resettle and we’ll invite you to stay involved with us through campaigning, development awareness raising and fundraising.

]]> Optometrist - Kenya In Kenya, nearly one child in every 1,000 is blind and in many of these cases total blindness is avoidable. The Kwale Eye Centre (KDEC) is a charitable eye centre on the South Coast of Kenya that provides affordable and accessible eye services to the local community. Beyond your immediate work sharing your skills with colleagues at KDEC, you’ll enable children with low vision to access education and help those who are irreversibly blind to lead a more independent life.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/26522 Marketing and Business Adviser - Cambodia As part of this Accenture-funded project, you’ll work with the Environmental Protection and Development Organisation (EPDO). Through their work, the EPDO empower vulnerable people to play an active part in the management of their natural resources. This allows them to benefit from improved food security and sustainable livelihoods.  You’ll build on the work of previous VSO volunteers by developing the skills of EPDO staff in market assessment and business development of the agricultural sector. You’ll provide support and training to staff, equipping them with the business skills necessary to developing local markets. As a result, EPDO will be better placed to improve poor people’s participation in local markets.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27550 Market assessment advisors (various locations) - Tajikistan You’ll be working with local producers to improve access to and participation in relevant markets. Poor and marginalised women, men and young people frequently face strong barriers to entry to markets. Local initiatives may fail, due to lack of research, prohibitive entry costs or failure to understand the value chains associated with their products. You’ll use your understanding of markets in developing countries to work with poor communities, undertaking research to identify opportunities to improve their livelihoods. By understanding the dynamics affecting their business and customer base, you’ll uncover opportunities for business expansion through new products, entering new markets or creating new niche markets for products.

We are currently working across a range of products and crops in several different countries:
Tajikistan – vegetable crops in East Khalton
Bangladesh – milk production in the Dinajpur and Rangpur Districts
Cambodia – agricultural products in Kratia, Steng Treng and Phnom Penh
Guyana – farine and cassava products in Region 9
Malawi – tea production in the Thyolo and Mulanje districts

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27197 management adviser at the Chief Circle Office - Bangladesh The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region is recovering from decades of civil conflict and social segregtation. You’ll be working with the Chief Circle Office (CCO) to ensure that poor and marginalised people in the area are given access to basic services, and are supported to participate fully in their communities. CCO play a key role in protecting the human rights of hill district communities. You’ll work closely with colleagues at CCO to developt their organisation capacity. In particular, you’ll use your local government experience to improve the office managemenet of CCO, providing training on fundraising, computer skills, office maintenance, report writing and database development.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27871 M&E adviser at the National Aids Council of Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe The high prevalence of HIV in Zimbabwe has resulted in the loss of many developmental gains of the last two decades. Erosion of critical human resources and the strain brought about by HIV and AIDS on families has impacted the economy greatly. Efforts to address other human development issues (e.g. access to health and education) are greatly hampered by the AIDS epidemic. HIV and AIDS are acknowledged as the biggest threats to human development in Zimbabwe. For 10 years, Zimbabwe has been among the three worst affected countries in terms of HIV prevalence, morbidity and mortality. The National Aids Council of Zimbabwe (NAC) co-ordinates and facilitates the national response to HIV and AIDS. You’ll work with them to provide M&E support to their programme activities, by developing and implementing M&E systems and training staff in using these and reporting accordingly. You’ll ensure that the skills and systems are in place to secure good practices in M&E after your departure. The overall aim of this placement is to attract funding for the organisation, hence the need for strong M&E practices to satisfy donors that their contributions are being used efficiently.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27547 lecturer in agronomy and crop production - Mozambique Agriculture is the base of the Mozambican economy, providing the livelihood of the vast majority of people, raw materials for agro-industry, and the bulk of export products. The Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM) is making great progress in its drive to deliver tertiary education to Mozambicans in remote areas of the country. Working at the Faculty of Agriculture, you’ll educate young people to develop their skills and knowledge of agricultural management. You’ll be supporting the rural poor of Mozambique, ensuring that the university provides skilled graduates to work in development of the agricultural sector. You’ll continue the work of a previous VSO volunteer and work with the faculty to support its expansion plans.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27803 Health specialist in the early diagnosis of cognitive disabilities - Mongolia VSO are working in the education field in Mongolia to make education provision more inclusive. Volunteers are working with education managers, teachers and social workers to provide them with the skills necessary to include disabled children in eduaction. This work has lead to the development of a National Inclusive education curriculum which is now used on teacher training courses. Your placement will focus on the early detection of cognitive disabilities. You’ll play a key role in developing early diagnosis tools, working with other specialists and key stakeholders. You’ll need to use international best pratice, but most be able to work within the context of Mongolia’s situation. By providing teachers, parents and other education professionals with the skills to identify affected children at an early stage, their needs can be met in the classroom, allowing these children to continue their education.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27559 Health management adviser - Sierra Leone http://www.vso.ie/placement/26515 Graphic design adviser - Tanzania Despite seven per cent of the Tanzanian people living with HIV and AIDS, there is a lack of awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and subsequently, stigma remains to be a major hurdle to tackling HIV and AIDS in Tanzania. The Femina Health Information Project (HIP) works through multimedia to promote sexual health, HIV and AIDS prevention and healthy life styles in an effort to reduce infection rates. Femina HIP uses ‘edutainment’ as it’s main approach, to entertain and educate youth and their communities in these key areas, through exciting formats, which mirror youth culture and language.

Your role as a graphic design adviser, will be to support and improve the production of publications which reinforce the long-running radio show ‘Pilika Pilika’s main messages on HIV and AIDS related themes. The radio programme is particularly effective in reaching rural communities across Tanzania.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/28540 Despite seven per cent of the Tanzanian people living with HIV and AIDS, there is a lack of awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and subsequently, stigma remains to be a major hurdle to tackling HIV and AIDS in Tanzania. The Femina Health Information Project (HIP) works through multimedia to promote sexual health, HIV and AIDS prevention and healthy life styles in an effort to reduce infection rates. Femina HIP uses ‘edutainment’ as it’s main approach, to entertain and educate youth and their communities in these key areas, through exciting formats, which mirror youth culture and language.

Your role as a graphic design adviser, will be to support and improve the production of publications which reinforce the long-running radio show ‘Pilika Pilika’s main messages on HIV and AIDS related themes. The radio programme is particularly effective in reaching rural communities across Tanzania.

What does the role involve?

  • Planning, organising and producing high-quality graphics and artwork for books, journals, posters, booklets, brochures and other printed materials.
  • Designing displays and exhibits for TV presentations, public meetings and special events.
  • Designing and updating internet web pages.
  • Coaching editors in graphic programming and visual editing.
  • Assisting in set-up, recruitment and training of in-house graphic design team.
  • Liaising with clients, staff members and suppliers to communicate job specifications and ensure deadlines are met.
  • Promoting efficient workflow by monitoring scheduling and job production and coordinating interrelated activities.
  • Keeping abreast of current trends, processes, software and graphics packages.
  • Photographing and maintaining a photographic record of Femina’s main events.

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll have a relevant and accredited graphics design qualification and at least three years’ work experience, some of which is in a publishing house. You’ll have knowledge of all aspects of conventional and computerised graphic design, including correct use of business English and digital photography.

You’ll have a keen interest in using ‘edutainment’ to bring about social change, and in integrating documentary filmmaking and popular television programming. You will be willing to learn about health promotion in Tanzania and gain an understanding of the target audiences. A commitment to developing your knowledge of Kishwahili would enhance your standing professionally and socially.

And the rest...

You will be based in Dar es Salaam, which is Tanzania’s richest city. Your accommodation is based in the Msanani region, which is north east of the city centre. It has a mix of traditional shop and wester-orientated resorts and stores. The climate there is tropical and there are two rainy seasons, a longer one in April/May and a shorter one in October/November.

We ask you to commit to 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to VSO’s development goals. In return, we will give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. You will have extensive training before your placement and the financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation and insurance. When you return to your home country, we will help you resettle and encourage you to stay involved in our work.

Please quote reference number T0860-0001-0002 on your application form.

]]> GIS advisor - Tajikistan In Tajikistan more then two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line and the country has been hard hit by the downturn in the global economy. An estimated 66% of the population rely on remittances from casual work in Russia and as this has dried up, so many families have lost their source of income. You’ll be working with the Mountain Societies Development Support Programmes (MSDSP), helping to promote effective and sustainable means of managing natural resources. There exists a shortage in skilled professionals to map and manage natural resources   connected to a variety of secure livelihoods programmes. Although previous volunteers have initiated work on managing natural resources, your GIS skills will be used to suignificantly improve mapping and monitoring techniques using GIS.   

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/26847 energy engineer and advisor on solar energy - Uganda You’ll be working in a fairly new area for VSO, assisting staff at the Nsambya hospital to reduce their power and fuel costs. Nsambya is a private not for profit hospital which expects most patients to contribute to the cost of their treatment. However, with rising fuel and electricity costs, these services are becoming too expensive for many patients. The hospital is therefore looking at ways to become more energy efficient and you’ll use your experience in this area to provide recommendations to the hospital on how to achieve these cost reductions. You’ll investigate the possible use of solar power as an alternative source of energy and provide advice on how to implement this if feasible.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/28116 Carpentry Trainer at the Mary Slessor Foundation - Nigeria You’ll be providing essential carpentry training to young people at the Mary Slessor Foundation. The foundation has an excellent range of equipment, but due to lack of expertise has not been able to provide the carpentry training to its students. You’ll develop a programme for apprentices and help to generate funds for the foundation from the workshop. 

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27412 Business Adviser at the Cambodian Rural Development Team - Cambodia As part of this Accenture-funded project, you’ll work with the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) to improve food security, incomes and living standards for subsistence rural communities. You’ll work with colleagues at CRDT, improving their ability to develop local markets for eco-tourism, eco-farming and renewable energy. CRDT’s approach to rural development is to work with the government and local communities towards natural conservation. Through your role you’ll be supporting both the ability of indigenous and ethnic minorities to generate incomes and wildlife protection of the local area.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27549 As part of this Accenture-funded project, you’ll work with the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) to improve food security, incomes and living standards for subsistence rural communities. You’ll work with colleagues at CRDT, improving their ability to develop local markets for eco-tourism, eco-farming and renewable energy. CRDT’s approach to rural development is to work with the government and local communities towards natural conservation. Through your role you’ll be supporting both the ability of indigenous and ethnic minorities to generate incomes and wildlife protection of the local area.

What does the role involve?

Ø Training CRDT’s staff on business development including financial planning, marketing and sales, human resources management, product development and operations management
Ø Assisting CRDT to write a business plan
Ø Identifying income-generating business opportunities for CRDT’s social enterprise
Ø Developing monitoring systems to ensure that project targets within the business plan are being met

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll be educated to degree level in management, development studies, marketing or a related discipline and have experience of working with social enterprise development in a developing country. You’ll have strong training and leadership skills and ideally have played a pivotal role in developing an organisation. An understanding of climate change and eco-tourism would be an advantage. In addition to these professional skills, you’ll need to be an excellent communicator with self-assurance and an ability to work independently. All your senior colleagues will speak English, but a willingness to learn basic Khmer will improve the success of this placement.

And the rest...

You’ll be based in Kratie Town and you’ll be required to drive a motorbike to help you get around the villages where CRDT works. Kratie is a small, friendly town about four blocks long and three blocks deep, dominated by a central marketplace surrounded by old three-story French colonial buildings. In the market you can buy the local snack, Krolan, sticky rice mixed with coconut and beans and cooked in bamboo tubes. Horse carts are a traditional from of transport in the town, and you can take one to visit nearby Wat Roka Kandal, a beautifully restored 18th century pagoda, the only one of its type in Cambodia.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12 - 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

]]> Agricultural statistician - Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is one place from the bottom of the global Human Development Index. A little over 40% of the population is younger than 15 years, with young people among the poorest and most marginalised. Livelihoods are a critical issue in Sierra Leone with unemployment around 50%. You’ll be working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) where your skills and experience will provide much needed support to colleagues in the area of the statistics and data analysis. MAFFS formulates government policies that regulate the agriculture sector. This placement is therefore key in allowing VSO and its local partners to leverage the MAFFS policy process in favour of poor men and women in the agriculture sector. By enabling MAFFS to set up systems for the collection, collation and processing of agricultural data, you’ll improve their policy planning and market assessments. You’ll work with MAFFS to better understand the opportunities for exports and imports within the agriculture sector. By building your colleagues’ technical skills, you’ll ensure that the Ministry is better resourced to provide to analyse agricultural data needed to develop their policies and programmes.

]]> http://www.vso.ie/placement/27548 Agricultural economic adviser - Guyana  You’ll be working in Guyana’s Region 7, which is one of the most marginalised and disadvantaged areas of the country. Communities in these areas suffer from poor communication and transport infrastructure, limited availability of agriculture extension services, small local markets for local produce and limited business support services. The current volunteer has begun the process of co-ordinating work between the local council and the agri-extension unit whilst also securing funds for agri-initiatives in the region. However, there’s a need for a stronger economic and market-driven strategy and stronger business cases need t be made to secure further funding. You’ll develop the capacity of the unit to assess the economic feasibility of recommendations made to farmers, ensuring that projects have the potential to be sustainable. In doing so you’ll work to improve the livelihoods of farmers in these remote areas.

 

 

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