Community Volunteer

Contract

This is a UNV Community Volunteer contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV Community Volunteer contracts.

Many Venezuelans arrive in the country through regular and irregular entry points in the country’s interior regions, coming by boat or land from the border areas with Venezuela and Brazil. The profiles of persons of concern are various and include vulnerable individuals with severe protection needs and members of indigenous groups. UNHCR provides emergency food and non-food items for targeted vulnerable individuals, including at the point of arrival. Many refugee and migrant children, including adolescents are not enrolled in schools either as a result of lack of information amongst parents not knowing that their children are eligible for enrolment, and language difficulties in seeking help with enrolment. Although the government is allowing all children to access free education irrespective of their legal status in Guyana, some children or adolescents do not attend school because of the lack of space or resources to accommodate more children in their community. Those who have secured a place in the school system are challenged by language barriers, since they are taught entirely in English, in the absence of linguistic support. This affects their integration, learning and academic achievement, and further contribute to social isolation, absenteeism and early drop-out.

UNHCR, collaborates closely with the Ministry of Education, and Community leaders, for rolling out after-school ESL classes to support children enrolled in formal education, and community-based classes in hinterland communities. This effort is to address the challenge of language barriers and to foster the integration of Venezuelan and Warao-speaking children into the Guyanese society.

Under the direct supervision of the Assistant Education Officer, the Community Volunteer will perform the following duties to support Venezuelans, returning Guyanese and Portuguese-speaking children in Eteringbang (Region7) . • Respond to the educational needs of out-of-school children by teaching ESL community-classes. • Plan lessons suitable to the developmental level and ability of the children. • Account for the children’s learning progress through a reporting system. • Maintain a clean and safe classroom environment for all children. • Prepare student attendance record. • Communicate to parents on children’s challenges in the classroom and how parents can provide support. • Support the families with school enrolment and translation services for helping children to access government school. • Collect and report data to identify risks and measures to respond to the children’s educational needs. • Participate in training activities organized by UNHCR and its partners. • Inform supervisor on protection concerns of Persons of Concern to UNHCR reported to them by members of the community.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Professionalism; Integrity; Teamwork and Respect for Diversity, Commitment to continuous learning; Planning and organizing; Communication; Flexibility; Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Voluntary service, community engagement or work experience can be considered in lieu of any formal education or at least 2 years’ experience working with children in a classroom. Experience of working in a hinterland/riverain community.

Desirable qualifications (indicative).

Professional/trade skills. • Ability to plan/ alter learning activities/materials to teach children of different age groups in one classroom. • Can provide pastoral care to children in the classroom setting. • Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into classroom tasks and activities.

Skills in community development. • Ability to relate to parents, local officials, and community leaders on education and welfare matters of refugee and migrant refugee as well as host community children. • Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and can function in the local community.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. UN Community Volunteers are expected to be recruited locally and work within their community, they are therefore not expected to travel to the duty station.