Community Facilitator – Loiyangalani Ward , Marsabit at Mercy Corps

The Program

Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 to address the societal wounds following the 2007 post-election violence. Since that time, Mercy Corps has built a robust and diverse portfolio in Kenya that is working to address structural causes of poverty and injustice and to strengthen systems that enable men, women and children to access opportunities, participate in and contribute to peaceful democratic processes, and thrive in the face of ecological and social change. To do this, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen market and governance systems, address the root causes of conflict, and equip vulnerable populations- in particular youth, women, adolescents and marginalized communities- with the skills, opportunities and resources they need to be healthy, productive and to drive the development of their communities. We work closely with the private sector, civil society and governance structures at local and national levels to facilitate change and ensure that opportunities are inclusive of all Kenyans.

A five-year USAID-funded Kenya Feed the Future (FtF) Livestock Market Systems (LMS) Activity for northern Kenya. The associate award 2 will support the Strengthening Community Capacities for Resilience and Growth component. This activity will contribute to USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative and specifically will improve households’ income, productive assets and resilience to drought and other shocks. Specific areas of focus include strengthened and sustained rangeland and water management; strengthened drought risk management; strengthened conflict management; improved and sustained health, nutrition, and hygiene practices; improved literacy, numeracy, and life skills; and collaborative action and learning for community empowerment.

The Position

The Community Facilitator will be responsible for execution of the Girls Improving Resilience with Livelihoods (GIRL), a 9-month adolescent girl personal agency empowerment safe space model aimed at supporting human capital development for resilient individuals who are well placed for commercial engagement.  S/he will focus on community adolescent girls engagement, including the identification, recruitment and retention of training girls and participants; the establishment of partnerships with key community members (elders, religious leaders, government officials); and ensuring that common strategies and approaches are applied consistently in all communities.

Essential Responsibilities

Community engagement and training

• Contribute to team work plans and successful implementation of Girls Improving Resilience with Livelihood activities.
• In collaboration with GIRL Officer, identify and recruit girls in the community to participate in safe space groups.
• Implement a 9-month adolescent girls’ personal agency empowerment safe space model.
• Manage adolescent girls safe space groups in collaboration with GIRL mentors.
• Provide mentoring to a minimum of 30 GIRL mentors every year.
• Support the GIRL Officer with conducting trainings Girl mentors to deliver technical curricula to adolescent girls.
• Support and guide the GIRL mentors to deliver trainings to adolescent girls.
• Support with safe space community mapping activities.
• In coordination with the GIRL Officer, monitor the implementation of activities through regular field visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact and document successes and lessons learned.

Mobilizing

• Mobilize the community for events related to GIRL activities.
• Take part in the identification and recruitment of girls in the community to participate in safe space groups.

 Monitoring and reporting

• Monitor the GIRL safe space groups on a daily basis and upload all data collected data in ONA platform on a weekly basis.
• Prepare accurate and timely monitoring and field reports on a weekly basis and other project documentation as required.
• In collaboration with GIRL Officer, report on the attendance, businesses and savings groups’ performances via the GIRL group monitoring tool and to the County Project Coordinator.

Organizational Learning 

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

GIRL Mentors

Accountability

Reports Directly to: GIRL Officer

Works Directly with: GIRL Officer, Senior Program Officer and County Project Coordinator

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum 1-year experience working with NGOs/CBO’s in civic engagement, livelihoods and education
• Diploma in Community Development, Social Work, Gender Studies or any other related field.
• Basic computer skills knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Commitment to working with women, girls, youth and vulnerable groups in need, regardless of race, tribe, religion or gender.
• Experience in data collection and data entry is an added advantage.
• Experience with mentorship of girls.
• Experience facilitating trainings.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Local language skills are required. Strong written and spoken English and Kiswahili.
• Valid motor cycle driving License.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have the ability to work without constant supervision and as part of a diverse team. S/he will have good representation and problem solving skills. Attention to detail and analytical skills are essential for the role. The Community Facilitator will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

 Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.