Child Protection Associate, Mogadishu

General

Description of assignment title: Child Protection Associate

Assignment country: Somalia

Expected start date: 06/16/2024

Sustainable Development Goal: 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Volunteer category: National UN Volunteer Specialist

Host entity: UNICEF

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Mogadiscio

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF is a key UN agency working in Somalia in various aeras such as WASH, Child Protection, Social Policy, Health and Nutrition, and Education sectors. With a population of 3,798,828 people and a significant youth and adolescent proportion forming a huge youth bulge, Somalia faces an unprecedented challenge in addressing the youth and adolescent needs of the people in a complex context where conflict, natural disasters and climate change divert resources from the needs of this important cohort of the population. Approximately 62% of the population is between 5-29 years old, while three-quarters (72%) of the population is less than 30 years old. The unemployment rate is high (estimated at 50%) that also contributes to poverty.

Context

UNICEF is a key UN agency working in Somalia in various aeras such as WASH, Child Protection, Social Policy, Health and Nutrition, and Education sectors.

The life for women and children in Somalia is challenging. Entrenched social norms, years of conflict and repeated climate induced emergencies have exacerbated the vulnerabilities of women and children. The lack of adequate child protection systems, protective laws as well as the risk of regression in terms of protective policy framework, continued harmful social norms and multiple continued conflicts across the country means women and children disproportionately face violence, risk of being recruited into armed groups and other protection issues.

The Central South Zone Office caters to the region of Somalia most affected by conflict, emergencies and climate induced vulnerabilities. Protection risks are also the highest here. UNICEF is working at the federal level but also at the level of the states in an effort to promote decentralisation and localised solutions.

The UNV assignment is part of this key programming on child protection in the central south zone working with government and CSO partners to support in knowledge management, program monitoring and coordination with partners.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of The Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Somalia CSZ, the Child Protection Associate will be involved in providing technical support for knowledge management for the child protection programmes in central south mainly around keeping online sharepoint files updated, tracking all critical reporting timelines, and assisting in completion of key reporting to donors and UNICEF internal reporting and planning.

•  Conduct regular field visits under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist and complete program monitoring formats for partners as well as their uploading into the system.
•  Support in coordination with partners in CSZ including partnership development, partnership monitoring and partnership oversight (both technical and compliance-related)
•  Support in the documentation human interest stories and case studies from various child protection programmes in the zone.
•  Liaise with the Country office section to also update and input to reporting and planning requirements.
•  Support in the specific coordination of partners for UPSHIFT programme and provide monthly reports and updates.
•  Provide support during evaluation and reviews of the projects
•  Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor

Eligibility criteria

Age: 27 – 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in

• •  Professional work experience in the field of child rights, child protection, social work or gender
  •  Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; eMBXPJx B2w2mr

• •  Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
•  Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
•  Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
•  Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
•  Self motivated and ability to work with minimum supervision

Area(s) of expertise

Crisis and emergency response

Driving license

–

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Desirable

Required education level

Bachelor degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, preferably Social Work

Competencies and values

•  Accountability
•  Adaptability and flexibility
•  Creativity
•  Judgement and decision-making
•  Planning and organising
•  Professionalism
•  Self-management

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Somalia is located in Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east

of Ethiopia; Area 627,337 square km. Border countries include: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, and Kenya 682 km. Somalia has a long coastline of 2,720 km. Somalia has been plagued by several periods of protracted armed conflict since gaining independence in 1960.

One major result of the conflicts has been an impact on the mental health of the population owing to decades of protracted conflict, which has severely disrupted social cohesion, broken down social norms and led to nearly one in every three Somalis suffering from some form of mental health condition.

The government has achieved important gains in re-establishing state authority in areas once controlled by al-Shabaab with the establishment of new federal member states in Jubbaland (2013), South West State (2014), and Hirshabelle (2016). Yet the revival of the state has often been followed by upticks in inter-communal conflict, driven by unresolved grievances suppressed under al-Shabaab rule, where unavailability of social services (schools, vocational training centers, hospitals among others) further aggravates the competition for scarce resources and opportunities facilitating latent and active conflicts in the absence of meaningful, inter-communal reconciliation that enables al-Shabaab to exploit lingering grievances to gain legitimacy and maintain or expand their footprint in the recovered areas of Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator.

The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.