***IMPORTANT ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA:
- Be a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Crossroads International is a leading Canadian international cooperation organization, advancing equality for women and girls and eradicating poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries in Africa where women and girls face great adversity: unequal access to resources and economic opportunities, gender-based violence and limited participation in political and public life. Crossroads International works in partnership with local organizations in 9 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, in order to draw on the skills, expertise and resources, from the North and the South, required to enable people, particularly women and girls, to overcome poverty and defend their rights.
Crossroads is a registered charity supported by government and non-government funders, and many individual donors around the world.
OUR VISION
ONE WORLD where poverty is eliminated, equality prevails, and the rights of women and girls are fulfilled.
Project description and context:
Crossroads International’s 2020-2027 Volunteer Cooperation Program (VCP) entitled Championing Gender Equality Together, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), will engage Canadian women and men, Canadian stakeholders, Crossroads staff and volunteers, local partner organizations and women and men in sub-Saharan Africa to become Gender Equality Champions. Collectively these Gender Equality Champions constitute a global community of strong change agents and advocates for the advancement of gender equality both in Canada and overseas.
The Project aims to reduce gender inequalities and alleviate poverty by addressing gender-based violence, inequalities in access to resources and economic opportunities, and barriers in exercising strategic forms of choice, voice and influence, which are the culmination of unequal and discriminatory power relations entrenched in society. Crossroads will address the root causes of gender-based inequalities and discrimination through a multidimensional holistic approach in the VCP that will, 1) promote women’s rights; 2) advance access to justice and the reduction of gender-based violence (GBV), 3) promote equal representation of women and men, and 4) target inequalities that limit women’s ability to participate in and benefit from economic activities.. Crossroads applies a rights-based approach to programming, which extends to promoting, protecting and defending women’s rights, including strengthening the capacity of women’s rights organizations to participate in and influence policy formulation and hold accountable those who have a duty to act.
To meet the needs of a growing program, Crossroads has opened three local offices (Ghana, Tanzania and Senegal).
Description the volunteer mandate
As part of the 2020-2027 CPV, Crossroads International adopted an environmental policy in 2020.
Our environmental action plan focuses on the link between gender equality and the environment with programming that:
i) addresses gender inequality as the root cause of vulnerability to climate change
ii) works for a high participation of women in decisions related to adaptation to climate change, risk reduction activities and environmental protection
(iii) support efforts to ensure women’s access to socio-economic benefits and services in lieu of the environment and
(iv) collaborate with partners in the South and North as key stakeholders to ensure environmental sustainability.
The implementation of the mandate of the volunteer environmental advisor is part of an approach to design an environmental strategy and action plan for each office and to support partners in taking into account the environmental dimension on a daily basis.
Under the supervision of the representation of one of the three duty stations in Africa and in close collaboration with the environment officer at headquarters, the environmental adviser will be responsible for developing the environmental strategy and action plan of the local office of assignment (Ghana, Tanzania Senegal) and supporting local partners and volunteers in the implementation of practices and initiatives that promote environmental protection.
The volunteer will have the following tasks:
- Develop the assignment office’s environmental strategy and action plan in collaboration with local staff, volunteers and local partners,
- Contribute to improving the environmental performance of the local assignment office by ensuring, in particular, the implementation of an environmental management plan;
- Develop appropriate tools to facilitate the integration of environmental protection into all activities of the office’s program;
- Conduct an analysis of the environmental protection capacities of local partners;
- Train country team and volunteers on Crossroads environmental policy, strategy and action plan
- Write reports as required
Qualifications
- University degree in the field of environment or any other field relevant to the position;
- Excellent data collection and analysis skills;
- Group facilitation skills;
- Excellent writing skills
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- Excellent ability to work in a team
- Good analytical and judgment skills
- Demonstrate autonomy and initiative;
- Ability to incorporate a gender equality approach in all aspects of the project
- Good adaptability and knowledge of intercultural communication
- Passion for the environment and climate action
The following will be considered as assets:
- Previous experience in international cooperation
- Specific training in gender equality
- Knowledge of the country and the local language.
Eligibility criteria
- ***IMPORTANT: Be a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
- Willing to conduct fundraising and public engagement activities before, during and after the placement
- Share the commitment of preventing and addressing sexual misconduct
- In good physical and mental health (medical examination required)
- The volunteer needs to bring their own computer.
- The volunteer must be available to attend an online pre-departure training
Personalized support before, during and after the mandate provided by an experienced and welcoming team. The Crossroads’ experience includes the following:
- Daily living allowance (depending of the country of assignment)
- Plane ticket and local transport
- Medical insurance and vaccinations
- Pre-assignment online training.
Crossroads International is committed to addressing gender-based violence by supporting the innovative work our partner organizations in ending violence against women and girls.
APPLICATION
To apply for this position, we kindly ask that you fill out Crossroads’ online application form.
Please contact our volunteer mobilization team if you have any question: volunteer@cintl.org
We thank all applicants but only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
