International Opportunities

International Opportunities

            Stop Hunger Now is an international organization that interests me.  In an earlier class we learned about the plight of third world countries in relation to hunger and lack of adequate water supply.  This organization interests me because our church has just recently been engaged in packaging events twice a year.  For twenty-five cents a child can receive a meal.  A minimum goal of 10,000 meals or $2500 brings the group to your organization.  The most two most exciting things about this program is 1) children receive the food by attending school to better themselves, and 2) there is a new component to this program-a water filtration system- which will reduce the chances of water-borne diseases.  One filtration bucket can filter up to 250 gallons of water a day.  At this time the only openings they have is a Certified Hunger Event Facilitator (CHEF).  This is a part-time position that I could do except for lifting 50-75 pound bags of food.  Sharing the program, setting up the stations, selling material related to Stop Hunger Now, and getting the boxes loaded onto the truck are the other responsibilities.  Other jobs that become available are Assistant Program Manager, Program Manager, Regional Program Manager and Staff National Director.

Another organization that interests me is UNICEF.  It takes me back to my teenage years when we would collect money at Halloween for children and families in need.  I also like the mission of the organization to promote the equal rights of children, and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities (UNICEF, 2013).   In exploring the website, I discovered a job titled Chief Education and another titled Education Manager.  There are openings in Namibia or Sierra Leone.  It requires that a person be able to analyze data and inequities in education, develop advocacy strategies, create partnerships in the country, and use effective communication.  A master’s degree is required.  The one requirement I do not yet have is eight years of experience on the national or international level.

            The third organization that I researched is Save the Children.  Just the title was enough to further educate myself about the organization because children often do not have a voice on their own, especially in third world countries.  A job that I found intriguing was as an Education Cluster Coordinator.  The qualifications are extensive for this position.  I am not sure that there are many people who would qualify. I have many of the qualifications, but not the four years of experience in humanitarian response.   The qualifications are as follows:

o At least four years of senior-level experience in humanitarian response within the education sector o At least one year of experience of responding in the first-phase of an emergency o Master’s Degree in Education, related field or an equivalent qualification o Formal training in Cluster Coordination o Excellent English communication skills, both verbal and written.

* Value based o Commitment to the rights of children and youth to education in emergencies and recognition of the need for education in emergencies as a first-phase response o Ability to put aside one's own the organizational interests and work impartially serving all Cluster members on equal terms o Demonstrates integrity and strives to wards the highest personal and professional standards

* Facilitation and Coordination: o Demonstrable ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working. o Experience of high level coordination and chairing of meetings.

* Communication: o Effectively presents ideas in a clear, concise and convincing manner o Listens to and acknowledges others' perspectives and views

* Decision Making Ability o Identifies key issues in a complex situation and makes effective and realistic decisions based on logical inferences, experiences and implications

* Humanitarian: o Demonstrable understanding of international humanitarian response architecture, co-ordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action. o Understanding of the humanitarian funding mechanisms including (for example, the Consolidated Appeals Process [CAP], Central Emergency Fund [CEF] and Flash Appeals). o Understanding of humanitarian principles and ability to apply these

* Advocacy: o Excellent advocacy skills particularly in relation to advocating for education provision in humanitarian crises.

* Planning and Strategizing o Ability to work and plan at strategic and operational level. o Understanding of opportunities to provide integrated or cross-cutting humanitarian interventions with other sectors and clusters o Able to identify and make the relevant links between emergency response, recovery, transition and development (Save the Children, 2013).

References

Save the Children. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.net/jobs/job-details/739

Stop Hunger Now. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.stophungernow.org/

United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). (2013). Retrieved from

                     http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/