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Initial support for Encore has been provided by The UPS Foundation and The
W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
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What's New at Encore |
| NEW VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY IN KENYA |
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Resource Replacement Volunteer Position
BACKGROUND:
AFRICA INSECT SCIENCE FOR FOOD AND HEALTH (icipe) is an independent, intergovernmental organization funded by government aid agencies, UN organizations and private foundations to carry out research and training in the environmentally sound and sustainable management of arthropods for improving health and agricultural productivity in Africa. icipe has approximately 300 staff to support its research and capacity building programs, located at various sites in Kenya, and other locations in Africa, including Ethiopia and Sudan.
Established in Kenya in 1970, icipe's founders recognized that the mainly developing countries in the tropics had special problems that were not being adequately addressed by scientists and organizations in the North. Furthermore, there was a serious lack of indigenous expertise to resolve these problems. It should come to no surprise therefore that icipe objectives for this millennium are essentially the same as they were three decades ago:
" To help ensure food security and better health for humankind and its livestock;
" To protect the environment;
" To conserve and make better use of natural resources.
For more information about icipe, go to http://www.icipe.org/
ENCORE SERVICE CORPS INTERNATIONAL (Encore Service) is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Encore Service's board, staff and talent pool is comprised of 1,800 former Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and other professionals with similar overseas development experience. Encore Service Volunteers possess an evidence-based, culturally sensitive perspective on capacity building and a lifelong commitment to community service. Encore Service's vision is to generate significant social and economic change in local communities in the developing world without long-term reliance on expatriate expertise. Our mission is to expand local capacity for measurable, targeted social and economic development in order to:
o Strengthen the capacity of persons in the field
o Strengthen the capacity of the organization
o Mitigate the risk for supporting organizations
JOB DESCRIPTION: icipe's scholarship programme enables 30 Africans each year to graduate with MSCs and PhDs in Insect Science at 14 universities throughout Africa, and go on to improve livelihoods of people in the tropics. The scholarship program has benefited by the generosity of DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) since its inception in 1984 but their support will end in 2011.This volunteer position will help secure alternative funding for the scholarships.
THE AFRICAN REGIONAL POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN INSECT SCIENCE (ARPPIS)-DOCTORAL PROGRAMME.
ARPPIS is a collaborative project between African universities icipe. It provides high-level research training leading to either MSC or PhD degrees. The Masters programme is organized at sub-regional level within Africa and is hosted by a selected participating university in each sub-region as follows: Southern Africa, University of Zimbabwe, Harare: Western Africa, University of Ghana, Legon; Eastern and North Eastern Africa Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The PhD programme is based at icipe Headquarters and is operated under the terms and conditions specified by icipe, while the Masters programme operates under the terms and conditions applicable at the host university.
Under this programme, young African graduates of MSC level or equivalent work for 3 years on specific areas of insect science at icipe. They are registered for the PhD degree programme at one of the participating universities of ARPPIS, which awards the degree when the programme is satisfactorily completed, while tuition and research training are undertaken at icipe. This programme aims at providing expertise for research career development as well as training the required research leadership within Africa, and in a most cost-effective manner. icipe aims to maintain a high standard of performance by scholars under this programme throughout the period of study. In any one year, the programme is expected to have a maximum of 30 trainees at different stages of their studies.
RESPONSIBILITIES will include, but are not limited to:
" Research alternative funding (corporate, foundation, individuals, groups, for example the American Chamber of Commerce of Kenya)
" Review and update existing funding proposals, and supporting documentation including student statistics
" Review existing PR including website mention and deliverables
" Review existing relationships with schools that receive funding and draft plans for them to contribute, and quantify their in-kind contributions
" Mentor icipe staff in fundraising and resource replacement
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
" 5-10 years experience in all aspects of fundraising or resource development, including researching funders, writing grant proposals and fundraising plans, and creating great program PR via websites and deliverables
" Excellent presentation and communication skills in English. Knowledge of French preferred.
" Organized, able to work alone and as the member of a multi-cultural team.
" Experience working with scholarship programs preferred but not required.
TIME-FRAME: This is a 2-3 month position, starting as soon as possible.
COSTS: icipe will cover the cost of round trip coach class airfare, safe and secure housing on campus, and a stipend for food. The selected volunteer will need to cover the expenses related to health insurance, passport, visa, vaccinations and all other personal expenses.
TO APPLY: Qualified volunteer candidates should submit a resume or CV with a statement of interest, by September 10, 2010 to susan@encoreservicecorps.org. If you know of possible volunteer candidates who meet the above criteria, please forward this to them.
Please write icipe KENYA and your name in the subject line. To be considered for an Encore Service Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Membership with Encore Service is free! Just go to: http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm.
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| VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY IN EAST AFRICA |
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ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT VOLUNTEER NEEDED IN KENYA
(WITH TRAVEL TO BURUNDI, RWANDA AND MOZAMBIQUE)
INTERNATIONAL FERTILIZER DEVELOPMENT CENTER (IFDC): Over the last 35 years, IFDC has focused on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in over 130 developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.
The organization's collaborative partnerships combine cutting-edge research and development with on-site training and education. IFDC has contributed to the development of institutional capacity building in 150 countries through more than 700 formal training programs, primarily as part of IFDC's long-term agricultural development projects. Field demonstrations and training have assisted hundreds of thousands of farmers in developing countries.
IFDC is a public international organization, governed by an international board of directors with representation from developed and developing countries. The nonprofit Center is supported by various bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, private foundations and national governments.
IFDC was established in 1974 in response to the twin crises of food insecurity and rising energy prices. Parallel crises threaten the world again. For more information about IFDC, go to their website at http://www.ifdc.org/
ENCORE SERVICE CORPS INTERNATIONAL (Encore Service) is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Encore Service's board, staff and talent pool is comprised of 1,800 former Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and other professionals with similar overseas development experience. Encore Service Volunteers possess an evidence-based, culturally sensitive perspective on capacity building and a lifelong commitment to community service. Encore Service's vision is to generate significant social and economic change in local communities in the developing world without long-term reliance on expatriate expertise. Our mission is to expand local capacity for measurable, targeted social and economic development in order to:
o Strengthen the capacity of persons in the field
o Strengthen the capacity of the organization
o Mitigate the risk for supporting organizations
JOB DESCRIPTION: Over the next 3-6 months IFDC's East and Southern Africa Division (ESA) based in Nairobi, Kenya will be expanding as new programs are developed and new projects are launched.
In order to support this expansion, the Encore Service volunteer should have deep project and program management experience. IFDC is not looking for a project manager, but for someone who as a senior executive understands how to "staff up" and how to help build teams whose members can work on projects that have many components. Among the tasks we anticipate the volunteer will be engaged in are:
- Working with the Team Leader (TL) on creating job descriptions
- Initial screening of applicants
- Working with the TL to choose the "right" applicant
- Helping the Project Manager(s) to introduce collaborative, web-based project management software
- Working with staff and consultants on communications (print and electronic)
- Act as the evangelist for the launch of an intranet (and, possibly, a blog) that will facilitate communications between team members; this will integrate workflow mechanisms, document management, a group calendar, forms, etc.
The volunteer will need to travel to IFDC Country Offices in ESA (currently Burundi, Rwanda and Mozambique) to help set up systems and to assist in streamlining operations at the national level, and to facilitate communications with both the regional office and IFDC Headquarters in Muscle Shoals, AL, USA.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS: While experience in African agriculture is not a requirement, an understanding of logistics and supply/distribution chain management would be useful.
The office and staff are English-speaking. Fluency in French and/or Portuguese is desirable but not mandatory.
TIME-FRAME: This is a 3-4 month position, starting as soon as possible. The preference would be to have the assignment completed before mid-December 2010 when most businesses close for the Christmas/New Year break.
COSTS: The volunteer will be accommodated in a guesthouse in the same compound as the office. Coach class RT airfare, emergency medical evacuation insurance, will be provided. The selected volunteer will need to cover the expenses related to health insurance, passport, visa, vaccinations and all other personal expenses.
TO APPLY: Qualified volunteer candidates should submit a resume or CV with a statement of interest, by August 15, 2010 to susan@encoreservicecorps.org. If you know of possible volunteer candidates who meet the above criteria, please forward this to them.
Please write IFDC Kenya and your name in the subject line. To be considered for an Encore Service Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Membership with Encore Service is free! Just go to: http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm.
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| MARKETING VOLUNTEER POSITION IN RWANDA |
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TECHNOSERVE, Inc. (TNS) is an international nonprofit development organization founded in 1968. Its mission is to help entrepreneurial men and women in poor rural areas of the developing world to build businesses that create jobs, income and economic opportunity for their families, their communities and their countries.
ENCORE SERVICE CORPS INTERNATIONAL (Encore Service) is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Encore Service's board, staff and talent pool is comprised of 1,800 former Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and other professionals with similar overseas development experience. Encore Service Volunteers possess an evidence-based, culturally sensitive perspective on capacity building and a lifelong commitment to community service. Encore Service's vision is to generate significant social and economic change in local communities in the developing world without long-term reliance on expatriate expertise. Our mission is to expand local capacity for measurable, targeted social and economic development in order to:
o Strengthen the capacity of persons in the field
o Strengthen the capacity of the organization
o Mitigate the risk for supporting organizations
JOB DESCRIPTION: TechnoServe is working with Heifer International and the International Livestock Research Institute to implement the East Africa Dairy Development Project (EADD) in targeted districts in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. EADD will move smallholder, women and men farmers out of poverty by improving their participation in the dairy value chain. The vision of success for the EADD is that the lives of 179,000 families, or approximately one million people are transformed by doubling household dairy income by 2018 through integrated interventions in dairy production, market-access and knowledge application.
TechnoServe is working with selected farmer groups/cooperatives to set up chilling plants that will increase farmers' participation in the dairy value chain, boost farmer revenues and create opportunities for the development of additional services around the chilling plant hub.
One specific aspect of the project in which TechnoServe will begin to work over the next 12 months is improving market access for the chilling plants. The project seeks to significantly increase dairy farmers' incomes, primarily through improved milk production and quality assurance; this implies a large increase in the amount of milk flowing to markets (both traditional and formal). In order to ensure farmers benefit fully from increases in productivity and quality, TechnoServe will work to improve chilling plant access to both formal and informal markets for their milk; consistent market access is a key driver of economics at both the chilling plant and the farmer level. In Rwanda, an estimated 35% of milk produced is wasted through spoilage or spillage.
EADD is working with the dairy farmer business associations and formal market players to expand access and generate income for smallholders. Several strategies will be employed, including consumer campaigns, export market analysis (including developed markets), new product development and processor assistance in developing capacity.
1. SCOPE OF WORK
The volunteer will play an important role in facilitating and driving forward TechnoServe's key activities in EADD, through conducting additional market analysis, and working directly with chilling plants and processors to foster new sources of demand for farmer's milk.
Key Activities (dependent on consultant's length of time available for project):
1. Analyze opportunities for milk processing in Rwanda
a. Assess the production of existing Rwanda dairies including:
i. Liters of milk devoted to each product
ii. Price sold
iii. Total dairy production
iv. Production relative to capacity
b. Evaluate the economics of potential dairy products including milk, sour milk, yogurt, UHT/long-life milk, powdered milk, cream, butter, skim milk, etc.
i. Marginal profitability
ii. Sensitivity to capacity utilization
iii. Sensitivity to pricing
iv. Recommendations to improve profitability
c. Estimate areas of untapped demand in the local Rwanda market based on
i. Consumer preferences
ii. Ability to pay / affordability
iii. Current production of competing dairies
iv. Current volume and prices of imports
d. Evaluate opportunities to export (which products, which countries) and estimate demand
i. Benchmark local prices in neighboring East African countries for potential products
ii. Estimate the costs of transport and import/excise taxes
iii. Determine the competitiveness of Rwandan exports by product and by target country based on price differentials and local demand
2. Recommend an industry strategy for Rwandan processors to grow revenues through tapping into sources of demand
a. Identify specific products which have potential for profitable growth in local or export markets
b. Propose a path to tapping into demand through new capital investments, quality improvements, distribution model, innovation, etc.
c. Recommend the role individual processors should play in growing the market
d. Identify gaps in current supply in terms of quality, reliability, and delivery, and recommend how chilling plants can be better positioned to meet processor needs
3. Build capabilities of Rwanda processors, specifically Inyange Dairies and Eastern Dairies through hands-on coordination and training
a. Educate processors on market demand and where their plant may be best positioned to compete
b. Build economic models to highlight the profitability of specific proposed investment opportunities, assist with linkages to banks for financing where needed
c. Diagnose key capability gaps of plant management
d. Develop trainings to fill gaps and work with management to improve over time
4. Work with industry stakeholders, milk processors and the GoR to stimulate consumer demand for processed milk through formal markets.
a. Explore potential for a consumer campaign highlighting the health benefits of milk, including unprocessed milk which is boiled at home
b. Design a program for stimulating demand through formal channels.
c. Mobilize support for a school milk program to improve child nutrition and provide markets for farmer milk
d. Work with processor/s to launch at least one new product into the market.
5. Train EADD staff on outcomes of studies and market analysis
2. AREA OF COVERAGE
The position is based in Kigali with extensive travel to the project districts of Gatsibo, Rwamangana and Nyagatare and across other areas in Rwanda.
3. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES
Timing dependent on total duration of the consultant's engagement; other deliverables to be determined as the need arises
" Approved Work plan (Week 1)
" Market Analysis for Processing (Week 8)
" Strategy for Improved Market Access (Week 16)
" Processor Capabilities and Training (Week 30)
" Staff training program and delivery (Week 32)
These deliverables are critical to effective achievement of the project's goal to double the incomes of farmers in the EADD target areas. Specifically improving market access for chilling plants will increase incomes for rural farmers through improved milk prices, reduced spoilage, and better chilling plant capacity utilization.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
" Excellent analytical skills including market analysis, economic/financial modeling, and structured approach to solving business problems
" Experience in reviewing an organization's capabilities and needs
" Experience in strategy development
" Ability to structure and manage complex tasks
" Strong business management skills
" Writing and reporting
" Strong interpersonal communication and information-gathering skills
" Resourcefulness
" Critical and creative thinking
" Strong coaching and people development skills
" Relating and networking
" Presenting and Communicating
TIME-FRAME: This is a 6-12 month position, starting as soon as possible.
COSTS: Coach class RT airfare, emergency medical evacuation insurance, a stipend for food, and secure and comfortable housing, will be provided. The selected volunteer will need to cover the expenses related to health insurance, passport, visa, vaccinations and all other personal expenses.
TO APPLY: Qualified volunteer candidates should submit a resume or CV with a statement of interest, by August 15, 2010 to susan@encoreservicecorps.org. If you know of possible volunteer candidates who meet the above criteria, please forward this to them.
Please write TNS RWANDA and your name in the subject line. To be considered for an Encore Service Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Membership with Encore Service is free! Just go to: http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm.
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| INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN UGANDA |
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Uganda faces the challenges of rebuilding the country and fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is compounded by the population's distrust of the government from past political instability. However, civil society leaders are beginning to realize the value of strengthening their partnerships with all members of the community: businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. This collaboration will allow the community to collectively improve the condition for those most affected by poverty.
United Way Worldwide (UWW) works with local community organizations in over 45 countries to help encourage accountability and true impact in the non-profit sector. UWI has been helping United Way Uganda lead, support and participate in collective inclusive community efforts since 2005. UW Uganda has been striving to build capacity and mobilize resources to improve lives and create positive change in local communities.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Serve as interim executive director to increase United Way Uganda's capacity by working in partnership with the board to identify the vision/mission/values as well as create an enterprise development plan that leverages and expands relationships with donors to enhance UW Uganda's impact. The volunteer will work in the UW Uganda office is in Kampala. According to Lonely Planet, "Kampala is a compelling and confident city, the centre of political intrigue, commercial activity and intellectual excellence in Uganda. Today's forward-looking capital is vastly different from the battered city to which it was reduced to in the 1980s. Modern buildings have sprung up all over the city, and old, dilapidated ones are slowly being renovated. But it's not only the buildings that are in better shape; there is a confidence about Kampala residents today that is infectious".
RESPONSIBILITIES will include, but are not limited to:
· Work with UWW staff to train board and local volunteers, and to insure compliance with membership standards and movement toward achieving UWW global standards.
· Recruit staff team, including an executive director.
· Develop a community impact framework based on UWW models and local context.
· Expand and develop new relationships with local donors
· Help UW Uganda build local and regional partnerships for resource mobilization and community impact projects.
· Develop a brand strategy for United Way Uganda.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
· Experience living in Africa required; ability to communicate in English required.
· Commitment to working with community members to improve the non-profit sector in Uganda
· Extensive experience in Governance and Strategic Planning
· Extensive experience in Donor Management/Cultivation
· Extensive experience in Program Development/Management
· Experience with United Way preferred
TIME-FRAME: This is a 12-18 month position, starting as soon as possible.
COSTS: United Way Worldwide will cover the cost of airfare, and provide a monthly stipend for food, and secure and comfortable housing. The selected volunteer will need to cover the expenses related to health insurance (other than emergency medical evacuation insurance, which will be provided), passport, visa, vaccinations and all other personal expenses.
TO APPLY: Qualified volunteer candidates should submit a resume or CV with a statement of interest, by August 30, 2010 to susan@encoreservicecorps.org. If you know of possible volunteer candidates who meet the above criteria, please forward this to them.
Please write UWW UGANDA and your name in the subject line. To be considered for an Encore! Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Membership with Encore Service is free! Just go to: http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm.
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| VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISER OPPORTUNITY IN INDIA FOR 2-3 MONTHS |
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THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED. CONGRATULATIONS LINDA LAYFIELD!!!!
Operation ASHA has taken TB treatment to the doorsteps of the disadvantaged. Treatment centers are established within the community, e.g. in small shops, huts and temples, so patients can procure the medicine conveniently, without wage loss or spending money on transport. They write, "Our highly trained counselors are responsible for tracking and eliminating patient's defaulting on taking their medicine. In addition, Operation ASHA carries out intensive national public awareness campaigns and other education initiatives that reach 1,000s of residents. 80% of our funds are used for social mobilization, and the rest for delivery of treatment. Operation ASHA works very closely with India's Revised National TB Control Programme and uses drugs, hospitals and diagnostic facilities provided by it.
"Our model has achieved excellent results. In South Delhi where Operation ASHA is a major force, detection rate has increased by 78%. Default is down to 1%, thus Operation ASHA has turned the tap off, preventing multi-drug-resistance or MDR. We use stringent cost control methods. The cost of treating a patient for the entire therapy for, on average, 7 months is only $15.
Operation ASHA's DOTS centers serve as low-cost, efficient and accessible pipeline penetrating deep into the slums where government and other nonprofits have failed to reach , said a management expert from McKinsey & Company.
"We are partnering with MIT, which is conducting randomized control trials to assess the impact of Operation ASHA in slum communities. The research department of Microsoft is helping us develop biometric devices to track each dose taken by each patient, and we have partnered with the Prajnopaya Foundation, which is based in Boston and supports the vision of its chief patron, Nobel Laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We are also discussing a partnership with a large international US based non-profit".
Having virtually eliminated default, established a cost-effective and replicable model, Operation ASHA is expanding rapidly. It plans to establish many more Directly Observed Therapy- Short Course (DOTS) centres by 2012, which will serve a population of 70 million. It is looking for funding and partnerships to achieve this goal.
For more information about ASHA, please go to http://s01.opasha.org/index.php
JOB DESCRIPTION
" Research potential donors in the US: Private and Government
" Write grant applications
" Follow up with donors
" Prepare a communications strategy, short term and long term
" Prepare communications materials for immediate needs of Operation ASHA
" Desirable: research on donors in Europe; writing grant application and follow up
QUALIFICATIONS
" 5-10 years experience in fundraising, grant writing and donor cultivation
" Experience living in India or in a similar culture
" Excellent oral and written English
" Knowledge of Hindi preferred, but not required.
COSTS: Airfare, safe and secure housing, simple daily meals, and local transportation for the assignment, will be provided by ASHA. The Volunteer will need to provide their own health insurance, and cover the cost of their passport, visa, vaccinations, laundry, and other personal expenses.
LOCATION: The volunteer will work out of ASHA offices in Delhi. From the Lonely Planet: " Delhi with its tenacious touts and crush of mechanical and human traffic can be downright confronting and confounding for the first-time visitor. But don't let petulant first impressions muddy the plus points of this truly multidimensional metropolis. Scratch beyond the gritty surface and you'll swiftly discover that India's capital is sprinkled with glittering gems: captivating ancient monuments, magnificent museums, a vivacious performing-arts scene and some of the subcontinent's yummiest places to eat."
TIMELINE: Start time is flexible.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, please submit your resume and a brief statement of interest to susan@encoreservicecorps.org. In the subject line of your email please specify which position you are applying for (ASHA-Fundraiser), and type your first initial and last name.
ENCORE SERVICE CORPS INTERNATIONAL (Encore) we are a 501 c (3) volunteer service organization comprised of 1,800 skilled professionals who are former Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and others with similar overseas development experience. Our vision is to generate significant social and economic change in local communities in the developing world. Our mission is to expand local capacity for measurable, targeted social and economic development. Encore partners with NGOs and other international organizations to design capacity building projects with mutually agreed upon, measurable goals and recruits volunteers with specific professional expertise, as requested, on a project-by-project basis. For more information, go to www.encoreservicecorps.org.
Please feel free to pass this announcement on to other RPCVs/PC staff or professionals with similar overseas experience. To be considered for an Encore Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Just go to http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm
Membership with Encore is FREE.
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| Encore Volunteer Web Developer Nancy Paulin Serves in Kenya |
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POST DATE: April 2010
AMHERST BULLETIN
Volunteer brings computer skills to Africa
NOTE: to view this story, and the accompanying photo of Nancy patting a rhino, go to
http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/170382/
By BEN STORROW Staff Writer
Published on April 23, 2010
Nancy Paulin, of Leverett, MA, right, with friend Sonia Maciel, stand by Max, a tame white rhinoceros, at Mount Kenya National Park.
LEVERETT - In the fall of 2009, a pair of Kenyan interns at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute were trying to post an interview with an Australian member of parliament on the organization's blog.
They hoped to put the interview online, as the organization was trying to secure Australian funds to help finance its work.
Nancy Paulin, a Leverett resident, showed them how to do it.
"The intent was that there might be a lot of podcasts in the future, and there needed to be the ability to add the podcast to the blog easily and quickly," Paulin said.
Paulin recently returned from a three-month trip to Ethiopia and Kenya, where she volunteered at the International Livestock Research Institute, helping the organization master the social media that have become an essential aspect of the communication strategies for corporations and nonprofits the world over.
But if her efforts have helped improve ILRI operations, don't expect Paulin to crow about her role. She is an extraordinarily modest person.
"The most satisfying thing for me was meeting people," Paulin said. "I didn't do anything amazing with the work I did."
Paulin's work, however, has large implications for ILRI, ranging from the organization's ability to attract funding from the international donor community to communicating with scientists to driving down unemployment in an area of the world where jobs can be tough to come by.
"I was doing social media, which gets the word out to people. They want Facebook, Twitter, the blogs. They want people coming to their website, which, I assume, leads to more funding," Paulin said. "It was an opportunity for me to show them a different or maybe better way to do something," she said, noting that her ILRI colleagues were already highly skilled on the computer.
"To me, it was similar to working at MassMutual in terms of it being a small corporate environment," she said.
While Paulin doesn't like to speculate on the impacts of her work, she acknowledged that helping people in the developing world to hone their computer skills can give them a leg up in a job hunt.
"As far getting ahead, it is essential. It is certainly going to help you get a job. There are just a lot of people without jobs in Nairobi. If we help them with (IT skills) we can maybe give them an edge when they're looking for a job," Paulin said.
Providing information to herders on how they can improve their herds and make more money can be a crucial means of lifting people out of poverty, Paulin said.
"You can't give them things; that's not going to help them. You give them information," she said. "For instance, there was a three-year drought, ending in 2009. ILRI provided farmers with information about what types of cattle are better suited to make it through the drought."
A job shift
Paulin worked at MassMutual, an insurance company, in the systems department for 26 years before leaving the company in 2006. In following years she worked on the website of her church, Leverett Congregational Church, and familiarized herself with Drupal and Joomla, a pair of content management systems. It was around that time when Hurricane Katrina hit.
The devastation wrought by the hurricane struck a cord with Paulin, a former Peace Corps volunteer. She resolved to get involved in relief efforts and, by November 2006, she was traveling in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma trying to aid the displaced. Ultimately, she spent a month in the South before returning home.
Prior to the hurricane, Paulin had wanted to return to volunteering, as she did in 1973, when she joined the Peace Corps and taught math to middle school students on the island nation of St. Lucia. But with three children and a career, she found little time for such endeavors.
That changed in 2006. Paulin's youngest son, Matt, was graduating high school, and she no longer was working at MassMutual. With more time to volunteer, she went on the Internet and began conducting research on Peace Corps-style organizations.
It was in such a fashion that Paulin stumbled upon Encore Service Corps International, a volunteer program geared at former Peace Corps volunteers. The organization was new and small and, from 2007 to 2008, Paulin helped maintain the Encore website. The prospects of going abroad to volunteer seemed dim, Paulin said.
"I never really expected that there was going to be a need for a volunteer with computer skills," Paulin said, reflecting on that time. "When the director asked me if I was interested (in coming to Ethiopia and Kenya), I said, 'Of course.'"
In September 2009, Paulin arrived in Kenya to meet the ILRI team. Encore paid for the costs of the trip and helped set Paulin up in a hostel on the ILRI campus. ILRI, which aims to alleviate poverty in the developing world by providing livestock management information to cattle herders, was in the midst of trying to make its website more current, placing new content on the site on a regular basis.
For three months Paulin worked with the ILRI team in Nairobi and Addis Abba, Ethiopia, helping its public awareness team with the technical aspects of placing information on the Internet. When the team wanted to upload pictures to their blog, Paulin showed them how to use Flicker, an Internet site that allows people to store their photographs online. She helped the organization maintain its front page and distribute the information it collects.
For instance, the organization maintains a public database that catalogues cattle genes that can be accessed by farmers or scientists anywhere in the world.
In the end, however, Paulin said she most enjoyed interacting with people and learning about other cultures.
"It's all about the people you meet," Paulin said. "With volunteer experiences you often get more than you give; you share your culture and learn about another culture. It's an exchange."
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| Couple Who Met in Peace Corps, Still Volunteer, Hope to Inspire Others |
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FENTON TOWNSHIP, Michigan Bob Lee and Ann Walker may just be the ideal examples of volunteering in retirement.
The Fenton Township couple met in the Peace Corps, have gone on two volunteer missions to Africa and locally are on call to assist fire victims and counsel people about Medicare and Medicaid choices.
And that's just the start.
They're hoping by telling their stories that more retirees will get off the couch and spring into action helping others.
There are so many volunteer opportunities out there, said Walker, 68, a retired principal and director of instruction.
I highly recommend people who are unhappy in retirement, they need to take a step into the world, she added.
Lee, 71, a retired Penn State University professor, and Anne went to Cameroon, West Africa, with Encore Service Corps International, a nonprofit that recruits former Peace Corps volunteers and staff members for short-term assignments.
Lee was stationed in Cameroon for six months and worked with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board as a grants management and organizational development volunteer. Walker joined him for the last two months there, helping with a human resources database.
How do they do it all?
I use the phrase, Im not ready for a rocking chair, Lee said.
For the full article, go to:
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/03/fenton_township_couple_hope_to.html.
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| Fulbright Specialist Opportunity: |
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Post date: March 2010
Please read the announcement below and see if you are interested in applying, and if not, please feel free to pass the announcement on to others by using the "Forward" tab at the bottom of this email.
This is not an Encore assignment, so be sure to apply to the organization directly, using the contact information at the bottom of the announcement.
Short-term Training/Consultation on Clinical Breast Exams in Ukraine
Background*
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure ® Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness has worked since 2007 to
create a dynamic global network of dedicated activists with the skills, knowledge and vision to play a strategic
role in shaping their countries' response to breast cancer in Ukraine and nine other countries (more at
www.komen.org/global). Participants in the Global Initiative have completed capacity-building trainings based
on Komen for the Cure's expertise, as well as a community assessment of breast health needs in their local
communities. Komen has partnered with the Fulbright Specialist Program to address some of the specific
needs identified in Ukraine. The Fulbright Specialist Program promotes linkages between U.S. academics and
professionals and their counterparts at universities abroad. The program awards grants to qualified U.S. faculty
and professionals, in select disciplines, to engage in short-term collaborative projects at higher education
institutions in over 100 countries worldwide (more at http://www.cies.org/specialists/).
Purpose of Position
One of the main gaps negatively affecting breast health in our target communities in Ukraine is the low level of
qualification of the medical staff who provide women with clinical breast examination. Therefore, this
Fulbright Specialist, once selected, will develop curriculum and teach 9 to 12 one-day trainings (approx. 20
persons each) across the country on clinical breast examination (CBE) for residents of national medical
universities and medical personnel who are responsible for providing such services to women: OB/GYNs
working at maternity centers, regional midwifes, and family doctors. Trainings will take place at universities in
Kyiv at Bogomolets National Medical University; Lviv at Danylo Galytsky Lviv National Medical University;
and Odesa at Odesa State Medical University. In addition, the Specialist will advise the heads of these
universities regarding long-term curriculum change and skills-building for their students and doctors on CBE.
The duration of the in-country portion of this project is approximately 22 consecutive days in early 2010, at the
mutual convenience of the Specialist and host universities. The Specialist will also be expected to prepare
items described below in advance of travel, and may maintain optional contact with the universities afterwards.
Logistics, including selecting participants and arranging trainings, will be handled by Global Initiative staff.
Principle Responsibilities
1) Design and conduct at least 9 one-day trainings (three trainings in each city: Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa) on
clinical breast examination for medical personnel and students, reaching approximately 170 persons;
2) Improve knowledge and skill of trainees on CBE, patient communication, and monitoring screening &
follow-up (incorporate pre- and post-tests or other feedback and evaluation tools into training);
3) Train approx. 10 lecturers of the medical universities on correct techniques, procedures, and skills,
and how to teach this to students an professionals themselves in the future;
4) Prepare recommendations to the heads of medical universities in each city regarding long-term
curriculum change and skills-building for their students and doctors on CBE;
5) Attend one meeting in each city with Global Initiative participants (up to 20 people) to discuss issues
associated with CBE in Ukraine and the US, sharing successful case studies in organizing screening
programs in the US and answering questions about CBE.
Qualifications
Expert knowledge and training experience in Clinical Breast Exam technique;
Must be fluent in Russian and/or Ukrainian; functional knowledge of both preferred;
Experience developing and evaluating curriculum;
Current citizen of the United States and meets other Fulbright Specialist Eligibility requirements;
http://www.cies.org/specialists/ss_eligibility.htm
To apply: Please contact Kira Mills at KMills@iie.org. More information about the application can be found
at http://www.cies.org/specialists/ss_application.htm . Applications will be accepted until position is filled.
*
The Global Initiative is designed and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) West Coast Center in San
Francisco http://www.iiesf.org and funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure® www.komen.org. The Fulbright Specialists
Program is a program of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the
Institute Of International Education
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| Volunteer Interim Executive Director in NIGERIA |
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THIS POSTING HAS BEEN DELAYED
United Way Worldwide (UWW) works with local community organizations in over 45 countries to help encourage accountability and true impact in the non-profit sector. UWW has been helping United Ways in Africa organize, lead, support and participate in collective inclusive community efforts in five countries, including Nigeria.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Serve as interim executive director to increase United Way Nigeria's capacity y supporting the board identifying the vision/mission/values and in creating an enterprise development plan developing and expanding relationships with donors to expand UW Nigeria's impact.
The volunteer will work in the UW Nigeria office is in Lagos. According to Lonely Planet, "The city takes its name from the Portuguese for lagoon, and has been a Yoruba port, a British political centre and until 1991, Nigeria's capital. It remains the economic and cultural powerhouse of the country, and has a superb live music scene and West Africa's most inimitable street life. It won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're up for an urban adventure then you might find Lagos truly compelling. A true megacity and the face of modern Africa as much as any picture postcard national park - jump right in."
RESPONSIBILITIES will include, but are not limited to:
· Work with UWW staff to train board and local volunteers, and to insure compliance with membership standards and movement toward achieving UWW global standards.
· Recruit staff team, including an executive director.
· Develop a community impact framework based on UWW models and local context.
· Expand and develop new relationships with local donors
· Help UW Nigeria build local and regional partnerships for resource mobilization and community impact projects.
· Develop a brand strategy for Nigeria.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
· Experience living in Africa preferred; ability to communicate in English required.
· Commitment to working with community members to improve the non-profit sector in Nigeria
· Extensive experience in Governance and Strategic Planning
· Extensive experience in Donor Management/Cultivation
· Extensive experience in Program Development/Management
· Experience with United Way recommended
TIME-FRAME: This is a 12 to 18-month position, starting as soon as possible.
COSTS: United Way Worldwide will cover the cost of airfare, and provide a monthly stipend for food, and secure and comfortable housing. The selected volunteer will need to cover the expenses related to health insurance (other than emergency medical evacuation insurance, which will be provided), passport, visa, vaccinations and all other personal expenses.
TO APPLY: Qualified volunteer candidates should submit a resume or CV with a statement of interest to susan@encoreservicecorps.org by December 15, 2009.
If you know of possible volunteer candidates who meet the above criteria, you can forward this announcement to them by clicking on the "Forward email" link at the bottom of this email. Rest assured, you will not be automatically adding them to the Encore! mailing list!
Please write UWW NIGERIA and your name in the subject line. To be considered for an Encore! Volunteer assignment, you must have an up-to-date profile in our database. Membership with Encore! is free! Just go to:
http://www.encoreservicecorps.org/join.cfm
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Your contribution to Encore! is tax deductible, and will be matched two or three-fold: first by the in-kind contributions of volunteer staff at Encore!, second by the host NGO we are assisting, and third by your fellow Encore! Volunteer, assigned to a particular project. If you believe passionately as we do in the ability of local NGOs or similar institutions to effect significant social change, and you believe with equal passion that RPCVs are uniquely qualified to help, then please donate now!
Just click on the "Donate Now" button below.
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