THE ORGANIZATION
Yamba Malawi transforms children’s lives by empowering communities to break the cycle of poverty. We acknowledge that strained resources, poor safety nets, and limited caregiver capacity lead to poor childhood development outcomes, particularly during children’s first five years, and have lifelong effects. Limited  financial literacy and insufficient access to formal financial services hinder community and caregivers’ efforts to invest in their children’s futures. And lack of economic opportunity creates a cycle of extreme poverty that increases childhood vulnerability and has lifelong effects on children’s growth, development, and happiness.

Yamba Malawi’s signature Childhoods and Livelihoods program uses a holistic 3-pronged approach to addressing these complex and interrelated set of challenges: 1. improving nurturing care and support for children through the strengthening of community safety nets and services, and increasing caregiver knowledge and skills in best practices for childhood wellbeing and early childhood development (ECD), 2. increasing access to financial knowledge and services, including training, savings and credit, and budgeting to improve the use of income on children’s existing and future need, and 3. improving economic resilience through diverse income generating activities that provide increased income to meet children’s basic needs.

Working at the household and community level, the Program includes a planned, time-bound sequence of activities that pairs the transfer of business assets with training, savings promotion, short-term income stabilization, and critical ECD and childhood wellbeing coaching that enables caregivers to plan beyond immediate needs and build foundations to improve their children’s futures.

The organization is seeking experienced professionals to contribute their high level of expertise to the organization and the program through the following positions:

POSITION : Mentors (45)
SUPERVISION RECEIVED : Project Officer
SUPERVISION EXERCISED : None
LOCATION: Phalombe, Chikwawa and Nsanje Districts

THE POSITION DESCRIPTION
The mentor will be responsible for implementation for all aspects of the Tikwere Ultra Poverty Graduation program with the overall goal of improving socio economic status of households. The mentor will be responsible for training and coaching; collection and reporting of monitoring data.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Activity planning and implementation

• Ensure participation of community-level partners and stakeholders in the process of project planning and
  implementation of the proposed activities.
• Participate in the selection of proaram participants.
• Support in developing program activity plans and schedules while ensuring alignment with project design.
• Directly implements activities and trains program participants in poverty graduation related activities which include business development and entrepreneurship (including agribusiness), Disaster Risk Reduction, Gender, Nutrition, VSL related issues according to needs.
• Facilitate community awareness and sensitization meetings.
• Ensure that all project interventions are carried out with full participation of the community and other stakeholders and as outlined in the project/agreement and in accordance with the organizations programming principles.
• Provide mentoring and coaching support to households through visits and helping them setting their semi-annual, and annual goals and targets.
• Facilitate preparatory and post activities related to asset and cash transfers for the targeted households and follows up and monitors positive utilization of the cash.
• Support development of viable business plans and support them to new opportunities for markets.
• Facilitate the establishment of Village Savings and Loans Associations.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

• Conduct regular field visits with partners, project participants and other stakeholders to follow up and provide support as needed.
• Accurately collect data using both paper based and/or digital data collection gadgets, and enter the project data and information into the appropriate data management systems
• Timely submit quality narrative and financial reports related to program activities on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis
• Facilitate and participate in program review and learning meetings.
• Identify, develop and submit case studies/change stories monthly.
• Establish and maintain partnerships at community level.
• Participate in identifying community and household needs,
• Represent Yamba Malawi in the project location and relevant forums i.e. ADC, VDC meetings and have regular consultations with local partners, stakeholders and key program participants in the assigned community.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies, Skills and Experience

• Demonstrates well-developed interpersonal skills, excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, as well as negotiation skills
• Must adhere to set Child Protection Policy and Guidelines
• Ensure gender and social inclusion perspective in the scope of work.
• Be a team player.
• Willingness to learn.

Qualifications
Minimum of Certificate in social work or related field

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please send your cover letter and Curriculum Vitae to  [email protected]  no later than Friday, February 3rd, 2023 Specify in the email subject line the position being applied for.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.