Community Development Facilitator

Organization Background

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-governmental organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children's rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Working in Zambia since 1996, Plan International Zambia’s development and humanitarian programmes focus primarily on Inclusive Quality Education, Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, Early Childhood Development and Gender Responsive Child Protection. Child protection is key in all that we do. Plan International Zambia has Programme Areas (PAs) in; Central, Luapula, and Eastern Provinces including in Lusaka, where the Country Office is located.

Location: Eastern Program Area, Petauke

Reports to: Project Manager, Break Free Programme

Grade: C****1

Closing Date: 2****9 March 202****4

Position Description:

The purpose of Community Development Facilitator is to facilitate Programme Implementation and Design with stakeholders, establish platforms for adolescents and young people to engage with duty bearers and lobby for increased and improved delivery of Reproductive Health Rights services, information and education. The incumbent is responsible for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Programme in the assigned area of operation. Build capacity for Community Partners and Stakeholders including serving as a point person at community/village and district level in any Plan and partner managed events to maximize Plan’s visibility, including participation in community meetings.

Responsibilities:

• To build girls agency to enable them aspire for safe and quality education as opposed to teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
• Advocate for the implementation of the guidance and counselling/life skills curriculum in schools.
• Advocate for financial support for vulnerable girls to access education.
• Train School managers and teachers in the school readmission policy and how to reduce stigma suffered by the girls coming back from maternity leave.
• Encourage out of school girls to engage in economic empowerment activities.
• Adolescents, parents, teachers and duty bearers are sensitized on the value of girls’ education.
• Train Youth-led organisations and social movements on how to lobby and advocate for girls’ Education.
• Orienting Youth activists and leaders to participate in platforms for planning, implementation.
• Reporting and monitoring of adolescents and young peoples’ Reproductive Health Rights, Education and Gender Equality.
• Training Parents/guardians, teachers, duty bearers and traditional leaders in Reproductive Health Rights/Life Skills and Health Education (formerly CSE), child marriages, teenage pregnancies.
• Community volunteers/ Reproductive Health Rights champions/ teachers/community leaders are trained on the delivery of Reproductive Health Rights services.
• Create llinkages between adolescent Reproductive Health Rrights information, education and service providers are established.
• Facilitate Plan’s representation at community and district level by facilitating the implementation of programs and projects and mobilizing community on programs and projects.
• Take part in beneficiary selection processes, including facilitating and ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities, sponsored children, girls/women.
• Forward concerns and inquiries from the community to immediate supervisor in relation to development needs and provide feedback to the community.
• Identifying key risks within the area of operation and putting in appropriate control measures to manage them.
• Community orientation on Safeguarding Children & Young People policy, reporting and responding guidelines.
• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Diploma in Social Sciences, Social Work, Development Studies, Child Psychology, Education or related discipline
• 2 years relevant work experience in similar environment
• Experience in developing and implementing influencing and campaign strategies
• Experience in strategic public engagement and mobilization
• Demonstrated and considerable experience of working with international media, communications or public relations roles
• A good record of achieving results and strategic impact for teams to deliver

Competencies:

• Ability to influence local communities
• Ability to write clear and concise reports, statements, and to meet short deadlines.
• Computer literacy skills with good presentation skills.
• Project Management Skills
• Communication skills
• Safeguarding children and young people
• Community Mobilization
• Gender Transformative Programming

Plan International provides equal employment opportunities to qualified and experienced women and men, Women are especially encouraged to apply.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.