Volunteering Opportunities at VSO International Tanzania

Type of role: Healthcare

Location: Mtwara, Tanzania

Application Closing Date: 7 Oct 2019

Interview date: To be announced

Start date: October 2019

VSO is the world’s leading international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty. Working in 24 countries around the world, our unique role in international development is to place committed volunteers with carefully selected organisations where their skills can have the greatest impact. As a VSO volunteer you’ll live and work in some of the world’s poorest communities. By sharing your unique skills and experience you’ll help generate new ideas and new ways of doing things, helping the communities you work in lift themselves out of poverty. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change, that will impact generations to come. Join us as a VSO volunteer and help us work towards our vision of a world without poverty.

The Kila Mtoto, Kila Mama project aims to save the lives of vulnerable mothers, new-borns and young children in Mtwara region of Tanzania. Focusing on strengthening both the supply and demand side of maternal new-born and child health (MNCH) continuum.

The MNCH Nutrition advisor will provide technical advice and capacity building to the Regional Health Management Team (RHMT), Council Health Management Teams (CHMT’s), Nutrition Committees at the regional and district levels and Health Care Workers – on how improve individual behavior and household practices, promotion of collective actions in communities and creating enabling environment for good nutrition outcomes for expectant mothers, new-born babies and under 5 children.

The volunteer will focus on developing sustainable locally owned resilient nutrition interventions which involve social behavioral change and communication (SBCC) approach in health facilities and community level in Mtwara region related to MNCH; promoting male engagement.

If you are passionate about making a difference for marginalised mothers and babies, giving them a voice, this is your role!

Skills, qualifications and experience
Essential • A degree in Nutrition (specialty MN nutrition).
• Minimum of 5 years relevant work experience
• Teamwork, with the ability to work collaboratively in diverse multi-cultural groups.
• Ability to work in an institutional environment, – hospital and health facility settings – as well as in the community setting
• Experience and knowledge in Maternal, newborn and child nutrition.
• Proven coaching and mentoring skills
• Effective communications skills (report writing, verbally)
• Fluency in Swahili and English and ability to communicate with different stakeholders on different levels within organisations
• Experience of developing communication materials for nutrition
Desirable
• Master’s degree is added advantage
• Experience of community engagement approaches
• Experience of conducting assessments
• Interest/experience in social and gender inclusion; social accountability
• Prior experience in Mtwara region is an added advantage

Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:
• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge

Equal Opportunities
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

Allowance
As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.

Accommodation
VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Some background about VSO
Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation. In 2016/2017 alone, we worked with over 7,000 volunteers from all over the world and from all backgrounds to deliver services that had an impact on the lives of almost 2.6 million people in the 24 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on the areas of health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments, to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 30% of our people are recruited from within the country in which they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same; to build a world without poverty.

HOW TO APPLY
If you’re interested in applying for this role, please download the job description for more information.
To submit your application, click on ‘Make an application’ and complete all relevant fields on the online application form.

VSO has zero tolerance of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. We expect all our employees/volunteers to ensure we protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm and abide by our safeguarding policy (PDF).