Details
Mission and objectives
** Eligibility criteria include: ** • Young people aged 20-32. • Refugees, asylum seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and migrants • In their motivation statement, applicants can demonstrate they face learning to earning barriers. • Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. • Candidates living with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF's activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.
Context
UNICEF Kenya in cooperation with the Government of Kenya under the current framework of the Country Programme Document 2022 -2026, and in collaboration with various implementing partners, has been supporting various flagship interventions in Education, Child protection, Social Policy , Health, Nutrition and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors with the overall aim of enhancing learning and skills for all children and adolescents, ending violence against boys, girls and women, decreasing inequity and reduction in multi-dimensional child poverty and increasing children and families’ access to safe water and basic sanitation as well as improving health outcomes for children and mothers. . The Youth on the Move UNV programme was designed by UNICEF in collaboration with UNV to provide refugee, displaced and migrant youth between the ages of 20-32, who face learning to earning barriers, with a paid 12-months volunteer opportunity. By 2026, it is expected that a higher proportion of children aged 0 to 18, especially girls from disadvantaged counties, informal settlements, and those affected by humanitarian crises, will have access to quality, gender-sensitive early childhood development and primary education services, with increased transition into secondary education. To achieve these goals, the education programme emphasizes three key outputs: (1) Parents, teachers, communities, and other partners will have increased capacity and accountability to boost enrolment and retention of girls and boys in pre-primary and primary education, particularly in the ASALS and informal settlements. (2) The education system will be better equipped to transform the delivery of quality basic education, rapidly improving learning outcomes and fostering the development of transferable skills. (3) Children and adolescents affected by emergencies, including refugees and asylum seekers, will have equitable access to safe, secure, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities. Kenya has continued to host refugees and asylum seekers since 1991. The country remains the fifth largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, hosting 777,354 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Kakuma camps/Kalobeyei Settlement each host 289,861 refugees and asylum seekers. Over half of this population are school-aged children. Increasing demand for education is projected over the coming years, due to the growing population of school-age children in both host and refugee communities. UNICEF is implementing PROSPECTS 2.0, a 4-year multisectoral intervention in refugee hosting areas of Turkana and Garissa. The partnership aims to develop a new paradigm in responding to forced displacement crises through the meaningful engagement of development actors with the focus being supporting the Government of Kenya (GoK) to implement the new agenda (shift from parallel service delivery model to an inclusive/integrated model). This will include capacity, systems strengthening and institutional building support to National and County authorities This programme is underpinned by key assumptions, many of which relate to the legal and regulatory frameworks and the political will of the GoK. The UN Volunteer will support the implementation and monitoring of PDs, conduct mapping activities as needed including for different cross-sectoral interventions within Kakuma/Kalobeyei
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support efforts to enhance system strengthening at the county level, reinforcing sustainability and the inclusion of refugees in Early Childhood Education and Development (ECDE) county development plans. • Assist in the development of age-appropriate educational and play activities. • Participate in empowering the ECDE workforce with entrepreneurial skills, supporting adoles-cent mothers, and improving educational access. • Support the engagement of parents, caregivers, and communities in early childhood education initiatives to strengthen their participation and support. • Participate in supporting flexible, multiple pathways for out of school adolescents who enabling them to re-enter the formal education system. • Assist in the strengthening of the Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) curriculum and pol-icy frameworks to enhance educational outcomes for marginalized youth. • Contribute to facilitating basic literacy, numeracy, life skills, and other participatory learning ac-tivities in child friendly spaces. • Support Teacher Professionals Development (TPD) initiatives for teachers and other education personnel. • Support the delivery of comprehensive skills development training programs, ensur-ing they are needs-based and market-driven to promote employment opportunities. • Contribute to integrated digital and media skills training, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)-related entrepreneurship, and social innovation skills building initiatives. • Assist in organizing participatory and creative learning activities such as inter/intra school com-petitions science fairs, bootcamps, and science clubs. • Support the promotion of environmental awareness and improvements in schools. • Contribute to mentorship activities for in-school adolescents.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 - 80
Nationality
Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.
Requirements
Required experience
1 years of experience in community engagement. or as volunteer • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations. • Proficient digital skills to deliver the assignment, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet. • Demonstrate UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS). • Applicants are requested to submit a motivation statement, describing why they're a good fit for the assignment by detailing any challenges they've faced due to migration or displacement that affected their access to education or employment. They should also mention any relevant volunteer experience and their interest in this UNICEF position. Hosting offices are encouraged to ensure application processes are accessible to youth on the move with disabilities.
Area(s) of expertise
Community development, Education
Driving license
-
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required
Required education level
Secondary education
Competencies and values
Adaptability and Flexibility Building Trust Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Ethics and Values Integrity Judgment and Decision-making Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Self-Management Technological Awareness Working in Teams
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
The UNV will be based in Dadaab refugee camp working from the UNICEF/UNHCR offices in Dadaab. The camp faces challenging living conditions due to its remote, semi-arid environment, with refugees residing in temporary shelters made from tarpaulin and mud. Access to clean water is limited, sanitation facilities are basic, healthcare services are stretched thin, and economic opportunities are scarce, leading many refugees to rely on small-scale businesses or aid. Despite these hardships, the camp has a strong community spirit and ongoing efforts to improve conditions and provide support ** Eligibility criteria include: ** • Young people aged 20-32. • Refugees, asylum seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and migrants • In their motivation statement, applicants can demonstrate they face learning to earning barriers. • Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. • Candidates living with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Reasonable accommodation
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.
How to apply