Job Title: Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion Assistant
Location: Takum, Taraba State
Job Type: Full Time
Qualification: BA/BSc/HND
Experience: 2 – 4 years
Application Closing Date: 18/07/2024
Job Summary:
The position involves coordinating and implementing peacebuilding/social cohesion projects with our partner (HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS FOUNDATION), in project location. The PSC Assistant works in constant collaboration and consultation with other members of the Cedar Foundation for Disability, under the supervision of the Program Lead.
The overall vision of CFfD’s project is to create opportunities for sustainable growth, safe, peaceful, healthy & inclusive society, for everyone with focus on persons with disabilities, children and young people, and to strengthen the capacity of CFfD teams, refugees and host communities to facilitate reconciliation processes to this end.
Another key aim of this approach is to enhance the conflict sensitivity of all of CFfD’s presence and programming and to explore how to integrate reconciliation in all that Cedar Foundation for Disability is and does. The Cedar Foundation for Disability approach to reconciliation/peacebuilding is inclusion-based, which means drawing on the inclusivity of refugees and host communities – as appropriate – to advance the vision of reconciled relationships. To do this, the PSC Assistant will be guided by the vision and principles of the Cedar Foundation for Disability and of the mission overall.
The PSC Assistant will adapt the Cedar Foundation for Disability peacebuilding principles and training methodology to context, by drawing on her/his own knowledge and experience, by appreciating and learning from local practices for conflict resolution, and by consulting local resource persons sourced together with the country and/or project directors and international reconciliation team.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Coordinate and help to conduct assessments to identify dividers and connectors, risks and opportunities facing refugees and host community, especially those groups reached by Cedar Foundation for Disability.
- Based on the findings of the assessment, to give extensive input to identify community stakeholders (target groups) for the design of a peacebuilding/social cohesion project and to prepare an action plan.
- Network with others, especially umbrella agencies, NGOs working on peacebuilding, and other stakeholders to complement one another’s work and avoid overlap. Prepare periodic project implementation reports (quarterly, bi-annually, and annually) and share them with the above-mentioned colleagues.
- Liaise with the programs officer and CFfD team to collect data for monitoring and evaluation.
- Build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for reconciliation of the CFfD team.
- Together with colleagues who cover other programmatic areas develop a plan for each one to systematically integrate conflict-sensitivity and social cohesion components in all their activities, with emphasis on creating safe and shared spaces.
- Regularly share information about the progress and challenges of the reconciliation work and invite observations and suggestions from others.
- Contact selected community stakeholders (target groups) and build a relationship of trust with them.
- Strengthen their capacity to mitigate and resolve communal conflicts and proactively promote reconciliation by organizing regular training, either conducting workshops personally or sourcing resource persons.
- Accompany and support/mobilize the stakeholders to take steps to proactively prevent and/or address conflicts that arise, and to promote reconciliation through education and awareness. This might entail helping to establish platforms for shared action and facilitating regular meetings and planning.
- Organize awareness-raising activities that invite members of divided groups (e.g., refugees among themselves or refugee and host communities) to come together in friendship, setting a timetable of events that celebrate the diversity of nations, cultures, and religions.
- Facilitate reconciliation processes between divided groups, including opportunities for encounter, dialogue, storytelling, and shared activities, to build trust, understanding, and appreciation of shared humanity; restore hope; and heal wounds.
- Together with other members of the Cedar Foundation for Disability team, keep exploring the possibility of further interventions that bring together members of divided groups.
Required Skills, Knowledge & Qualifications:
- Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in reconciliation, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, or related social science discipline.
- Experience (at least 2 years) working in peacebuilding/social cohesion in the community
- Proven experience in working with people and teams from resource-constrained and conflict-affected environments.
- Experience of and commitment to working with marginalized communities and groups
- Fluency in oral and written communication skills; particularly in English language is a must.
- Understanding of local language and context is a must.
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft office and other relevant project software.
Required Competencies and Values:
- Inclusion & respect for diversity
- Integrity & transparency
- Professionalism
- Strong knowledge and skills related to reconciliation.
- Ability to convince others of the need for reconciliation.
- Ability to translate the rhetoric of reconciliation into practice.
- Ability to translate accountability into practice by creating opportunities and safe spaces to share feedback.
- Strong facilitation, training, and team-building skills
- Strong organization and coordination skills
- Strong skills in conflict assessment and analysis, including the ability to gather and analyze information in creative and participatory ways, the ability to understand and use conflict analysis tools, and to accurately record conversations and discussions, both content and outcomes
- Acceptance of diversity and inclusion as a core value.
- Ability and experience to work in a multi-cultural environment, with strong cultural and inter-religious sensitivity and understanding.
- Sensitivity to circumstances, situations, and people.
- People-centered, encouraging equitable participation and inclusivity.
- Awareness that programming could inadvertently contribute to conflict.
- Critical self-awareness of how identity affects perception and of one’s own biases.
Core Competencies:
- Accountability
- Communication
- Managing and sharing knowledge
- Teamwork
- Delivering results
How to apply
Candidates interested in this position should please email an application their Cover Letter and CV as one attachment to [email protected] with the position title as the subject of the email.
Note:
- Persons with disabilities with relevant experiences are highly advised to apply
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.
