Placement Organization: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
Placement Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Eligible Citizenship: American

 

About: CHABHA supports vulnerable children and youth who are affected by HIV/AIDS by sustaining, supporting, and creating strong grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide services and experiences to empower its members. CHABHA believes that all children have a fundamental right to education, health, safety, and a nurturing environment in their dependent years. We serve children and young adults through:

  • Developing partnerships with grassroots CBOs that share CHABHA’s mission and build organizational capacity
  • Providing funding for CBOs’ programmatic activities that support children’s education, health and psychosocial wellbeing and lead to independence
  • Expanding the CHABHA network to include community-based organizations throughout Eastern Africa that address the needs of HIV/AIDS affected children and youth

CHABHA, through the associations it supports, works with one of the most vulnerable HIV/AIDS population – children and young adults affected by HIV/AIDS. Children have been affected either through losing a parent or both parents, or being HIV positive themselves. The population of children CHABHA works with tends to come from the poorest families in the community. Guardians or parents living with HIV are unable to provide adequately for them. Many children are constantly on the verge of homelessness and often live with many other children, or support several siblings.

CHABHA funds three partner associations in Rwanda (AMAHORO, AJESOV, AGAPE), and one in Burundi (MUBAFASHE). The total number of children supported in all the associations is approximately 5000. CHABHA and its partner associations attempt to support the children in a holistic manner. Support for the children is through funding of their education fees, health insurance, vocational education, afterschool program (English, Drama, Music, Agriculture), as well as psychosocial support through home visits, gatherings, life skills workshop/training, and support groups for HIV-infected children in the associations.

 

Position Overview: The fellow will work together with the CHABHA Program and Association Coordinator to assess the needs of the program and will continually work to develop and revise the action-plans for the partner associations in both Rwanda and Burundi.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Capacity-building of the associations (training association leaders in various areas) – computer use, finance, HR, best practices accounting, leadership development.
  • Ensuring the use and following up of the monitoring and evaluation tools of the ongoing activities and evaluating progress. Identifying and measuring outcomes, and using the results to search for grants and incorporating these into proposal writings.
  • Developing a curriculum together with CHABHA for various programs (HIV Positive Group, Right To Play/CHABHA program, Entrepreneurship Training, Gatherings curriculum, Financial Literacy Course).
  • Assessing, identifying and developing new programs based on needs of beneficiaries.
  • Creating, building, and maintaining existing networks of partners of associations.
  • Establishing new partnerships with local and international donors who share CHABHA’s vision.
  • Identifying local and foreign markets for products made by the associations’ women coops, and young entrepreneurs in the associations.
  • Publicity and social media. Streamline communication between national and international partners, documenting program activities for publicity (ie. website design, Facebook, twitter, etc.)

 

Required Skills and Experience:

  • Fluency in spoken and written French and English
  • Background in development work and experience working in the field
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Health Policy, International Affairs, Development Studies, Sociology, Development Economics, Gender Studies, or related fields
  • Proficient in Microsoft office, spreadsheets, word processing
  • Fundraising experience and networking skills, as these are crucial for the growth of the association

 

Preferred Skills and Experience:

  • Experience developing systems that measure the outcomes of current programmatic activities
  • Experience developing new programs for the beneficiaries
  • Experience working with needs-assessment of microfinance program for, or developing cooperatives and income generating activities
  • Experience in database management software, STATA

 

Living Conditions: Fellows will be provided with housing, health insurance and a living stipend of $650/month. Fellows will also receive an award of $1500 upon successful completion of the fellowship year. Flights to and from the placement site and all other costs associated with GHC programming are included. The work schedule will be divided between Rwanda and Burundi.