VSF Belgium Jobs in Kenya: VICOBA/PFS Trainer

VSF-BELGIUM is an NGO working with disadvantaged communities to raise their standard of living and improve food security through improved animal health and animal production.

In East Africa, our programmes focus on community based animal health services, livestock commodity trade; training centres for mid-level animal health workers and disease control through emergency and longer term initiatives.

Position Title: VICOBA/PFS Trainer
Project: Drought Mitigation Initiative Project (DMI)
Duty Station: Lodwar, Turkana
Duration: 1 year, (renewable)
Deadline For Application: 29/10/2009
Availability: January 2010

Role

The VICOBA/ PFS Trainer will provide technical support to DMI livestock based livelihoods sustainable development, through provision of business skills training and; support for income generating activities as a result of the training, capacity building for the pastoral field schools to enable pastoralist and agro-pastoralists to compare traditional methods of livestock keeping with new innovations and improve strategies that increase sustainable pastoral livelihoods.

Context

VSF B is looking to recruit a highly motivated individual with an affinity for animals and the ability to get along with rural owners and fit in as a member of DMI field Officers who will establish, promote and strengthen community based animal health structure in collaboration with the DVO and TUPADO animal health and marketing officer.

Main Responsibilities

• Identify, nurture and promote projects and interventions to speed up sustainable pastoral livelihoods development in the livestock sector.
• Actively participate in new project area concept and proposal development and take a leading role in project baseline survey.
• Facilitate needs assessments, market opportunities identifications, and other sectoral needs assessments for the development of training curricula in consultation with the DMI project manager and the rest of the DMI partnership and project team
• Build the capacity of pastoral VICOBA/PFS groups to utilize money; to invest in alternative source of income that could provide a cushion for periods of climate extremes.
• Train pastoral community groups in values and norms towards a culture of savings
• Provide appropriate professional input on entrepreneurship and business development to VICOBA / PFS facilitators and target groups
• Liaison with other resourceful actors to identify micro business opportunities for the pastoral handcraft trading , explore constraints to market access and formulate interventions to address them
• Developing in close coordination with the project manager outputs for the best practices in PFS and VICOBA activity areas.
• Formulate and disseminate business opportunity seminars on potential opportunities
• Provide appropriate training on business skills to livestock entrepreneurs.
• Participate in the development and implementation of best practice manual in coordination with the project manager
• Develop appropriate training materials on VICOBA and PFS and provide technical support to the DMI Partners in the areas of VICOBA AND PFS approaches and business training, pastoral community micro business planning and any other areas that require business or related inputs.
• VICOBA groups pastoral trainee management and performance monitoring etc
• Promote the participation of communities especially women in livestock pastoral and agribusiness activities, planning and running training sessions including ordering training materials, liaison with logistics etc
• Participate in knowledge capture and management during the implementation of the PFS and coordinate with projects for its transfer into the best practices and Knowledge management input.
• Input in the provision of community development training services for stakeholders and partners
• Develop curricula and participate in training of trainers in consultation with training team and project manager

Essential or Minimum Requirements

Education

• Bachelors’ degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Pastoral economics, Development studies or other related disciplines
• Further training in community development is an added advantage

Knowledge and experience

• Hands on experience in business skills training, market research and enterprise promotion among rural communities
• Experience in VICOBA rural cooperative enterprise.
• Technical skills in enterprise promotion, Village community Banks
• Experience in the running of pastoral field schools
• At least four years experience with NGOs working in pastoral regions
• Project planning and research/evaluation methods
• Knowledge of the local Language is an added advantage.
• Work experience in conflict or post-conflict areas

Skills

• Planning
• Accuracy
• Computer literacy with very good MS Excel skills
• Ability to work independently, under pressure and meet strict deadlines
• Ability to prepare and present material to audiences at all levels
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Good writing and presentation skills

Attitudes

• Team player
• Attentive to detail
• Flexible
• High integrity and accountability
• A cross cultural attitude to work with pastoral communities
• Identify him/herself with the mission, vision and values of VSF-B
• Display of intercultural sensitivity
• Respect in dealing with others and especially the beneficiary community
• Affinity for NGO work in general

Please send your application letter, CV and list of 3 references by e-mail (reference “VICOBA /PFS TRAINER - DMI”) on or before 29/10/2009 to recruitment @ vsfb.or.ke

This vacancy is open to male and female candidates.

Applications from qualified women candidates are encouraged.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

For more information: www.vsf-belgium.org