Junior EU Aid Volunteer - Project Management - Bosnia and Herzegovina

The project aims to improve public perception in awareness of rights of people with intellectual and psycho-social disabilities. In order to encompass the administrative complexity of BiH, the project will connect self-advocacy groups of PwD with university students in two entities, Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS). Students and professors from the University of Sarajevo and the University of Banja Luka, specifically faculties of law, psychology and social work will be participating in this project. The reason those areas of study have been selected is because those are the major fields that will decide on the status as well as work closely with PwD in their future professional capacity as lawyers, psychologists and social workers. To address the issue of media portrayal and reporting on PwD, the project will also include journalism students. The project will organise a set of capacity-building and awareness-raising activities in order to empower self-advocates and university students to play an increasing role in highlighting critical issues facing PwD. Following a mobilisation and engagement of both groups, joint advocacy actions for enhanced rights of PwD will be implemented by self-advocated and university students. The project will not only link the students and self-advocates but also create opportunities for different self-advocacy groups to connect and establish cooperation. The project is building on well-established cooperation of PIN with local NGOs and universities hence ensuring sustainability of results.

1. Summary of the short project: Know-how sharing Mayors (6 months)

Another project that PIN BiH will be implementing is a project based on successful implementation of a sharing experience and know-how between Czech and BiH mayors. Outputs and outcomes described in the next chapter have been discussed in participatory ways with representatives of mayors who were invited for final roundtable of Exchange of Experience and sharing of Know-How for representatives of Local Municipalities between Czech and BiH. Experts will be provided by both People in Need (PIN) and SMS Czech Republic. PIN experts will provide expertise on good governance and energy efficiency. SMS Czech Republic experts will provide know-how and guidance on technical issues on implementation of specific projects on municipality level as well as lessons learnt on good governance.

2. Overall project support:

Special attention will be paid to Monitoring and Evaluation tasks as well as communications via social media (e.g. blog, photo galleries, vlogs, on project implementations). The volunteer might have to assist other missions in the Western Balkans region through e-mail/skype contacts, and will be part of the larger region.

 

Operational and security context:

Operational Context

People in Need first started working in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the early 1990s in response to the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. After the outbreak of the war, People in Need sent humanitarian workers and supplies into the country to provide immediate and emergency relief to those affected by the conflict. The war decimated the country’s infrastructure and economy and resulted in the displacement of half of the country’s population.

Now, many years after the war, one of the challenges relates to the country’s treatment of people with disabilities. In BiH, people with disabilities are often economically and socially excluded on a much larger scale than those in Western Europe. People with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities are often placed in institutions, rather than being empowered to live independently. PIN, together with local partners and local authorities, has been working to change the system of care for people with disabilities in the country. By supporting the process of deinstitutionalisation and promoting Independent Living services, PIN aims to provide more dignified social conditions for people with disabilities so they can live, work and socialise freely in their community and have greater control over their lives. PIN also runs awareness raising campaigns in order to combat discrimination and prejudices towards people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. On the basis of this experience with PwD we noticed that these our clients PwD, who learnt to advocate for themselves looked to students as their allies. On the basis of this choice and looking into the future for committees that grant PwD a full life in the community, PIN has decided to focus the new project on awareness raising and ensuring students are well-informed on the Rights of People with Disabilities and can support PwD in Advocacy, in Independent Living, changes in the Law to prevent legal deprivation of rights, and to support the Self-Advocacy groups who desire to establish themselves as association.

Alongside PIN’s projects aimed at supporting people with disabilities in BiH, PIN mobilised to respond to the floods, which hit BiH and Serbia in 2014, and took dozens of lives and caused extensive material losses.

The operation in BiH is rather small and comprises of and administrative/ coordination unit that is working with local partners and other stakeholders, experts and university professors and students.

 

Security Context

Road travel is the biggest risk in BiH, as the roads are narrow and people drive fast. Another risk can be related to mines, when you walk in the mountains. So never hike without a licensed guide. There can be some petty theft, maybe some harassment in busy places and late at night. Better be safe than sorry, so take a taxi home and if you go out late at night, do it in company.

 

TASKS AND COMPETENCES:

Project management support:

• Assist in the implementation of the Self-Advocacy Project
• Coordinate action
• Draft narrative report and assist in the compilation of the financial report
• Prepare logistics plans

Administration:

• Draft agendas for meetings, workshops, contact partners, stakeholders
• Send out invitations/contact student organisations and others
• Feed Facebook page
• Networking, bringing people together
• Administration
• Follow-up the registration of work and residence permit in BiH
• Collection of relevant information
• Field assessment

 

Apprenticeship

Tailor-made apprenticeship will be held in Prague in April 2019

 

Required competences: 

• English Language Competences at the highest level, both for speaking and writing (C1)
• Able to draft donor reports independently
• Able to translate objectives into activities and implement these
• Schedule meetings
• Draft Agenda, travel/monitoring plan
• Clear communications with various stakeholders
• Good team-player
• Creative thinker
• Listening and patience is required
• Draft questionnaires, a research survey

Eligibility and exception criteria: 

The candidate for EU Aid Volunteers must be a citizen of the EU or a third country national who is a long-term resident in an EU Member State and must be at least 18 years of age.

 

PIN believes in equal opportunities for men and women. PIN also encourages all people, regardless of age, to apply.

In order to function well in BiH you should be fit and realize that there might be slight differences from your home country. The local language is Bosnian, but many people speak some English or German. Medical facilities are adequate, but it is better to return to your home country in case of an emergency. In case of a chronic medical condition, you must ensure that your medication can be bought and/or delivered to BiH. Finding specific medications can be difficult. Public transportation is available around the country and the region where you will be based, although it is not always very comfortable. Office are often quite basic.

 

Minimum requirements:

University Student (4th year) with 2 years voluntary or weekend/part-time job experience

 

Learning opportunities:

• A structured learning and development plan will be developed for each EU Aid Volunteer. This will include: self-assessment, structured learning and development plan reviews, on-line learning, peer-to-peer support, a two-week EU-run training, followed by PIN induction/apprenticeship. EU Aid Volunteers will also have an assigned Mentor for the entirety of their volunteer placement with PIN. This is combined with line management in country from an experienced humanitarian professional.
• Learning to cope with a completely different way of working/living. On the one hand a lot of freedom to show initiative, on the other hand slow progress due to heavy bureaucracy and way of working in BiH.
• The beneficiaries will be served indirectly, as PIN works with partners, this means you need to look for opportunities to work directly with the beneficiaries.
• Work in a small team, where guidance can be easily provided. It also means that you sometimes need to step out of your comfort zone and help others when it is needed.

 

Working and living conditions:

Contract:

EU Aid Volunteer Agreement

Volunteer Allowance:

In line with EU Aid Volunteer subsistence allowances:

Whilst in Bosnia and Herzegovina €342,17 per month

Whilst in the Czech Republic €401,64 per month

Accommodation

Accommodation when deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be provided by PIN.

At the end of volunteer placement an allowance of €100/per each month deployed will be provided as a resettlement allowance.

Travel

A flight will be provided to Bosnia and Herzegovina and from the EU Aid Volunteer’s home country or from the Czech Republic upon apprenticeship completion.

The cost of pre-departure preparations; insurance, medical clearance and vaccinations will be provided.

Line Management and Mentoring

Line Manager whilst deployed – Regional Representative Western Balkans

Mentor – Mentor based in Prague assigned for the entirety of the volunteer placement with PIN.

Interview Process:

Pre-selected candidates will be contacted and requested to record a video-questionnaire. If successful, two rounds of interviews will be carried out (by Sending and Hosting organisations).

Expected date decision on outcome15/02/2019

 

How to Apply:

 

Please send us your CV in EuroPass format and your Self assessment form till 15th January 2019 by clicking on following link.The EuroPass CV template. as well as the Self-assessment form, can be found here.