Madagascar: Project Development Internship for WASH (Madagascar)

Position Overview

Based in the coastal town of Fort Dauphin in the southeast of Madagascar, this internship will provide support to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects run through the NGO. The successful candidate will work within a combined Malagasy and International team to assist in developing projects, writing the proposals enabling these to gain funding, supporting with the implementation of projects and evaluating their success. The internship is predominantly office-based, and the diversity of activities undertaken will provide a wide ranging experience for a development professional who can effectively and efficiently deal with a comprehensive range of tasks related to the complex world of overseas development work.

This exciting post would suit someone with some experience or a passion to learn, and would be essential in-country experience for anyone wishing to begin a career in international development.

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar

Timeframe: 12 months extendable

Probationary period: 3 months

Contract: Voluntary, unsalaried with Azafady Ltd

Reporting to: Head of Project Development (Community Health, WASH & Construction)

Primary responsibilities

Development of new projects (including funding searches); preparation and editing of proposals and reports; information formatting; monitoring and evaluation of current projects; researching International best practice; liaison with the London project development team and local staff

Duties and responsibilities

· Compile funding proposals based on past evaluation, team discussion and International best practice in an engaging and professional manner

· Write project reports that clearly demonstrate the successes and challenges of the projects, learning from the project and give clear budgetary information

· Conduct internet searches for potential donors to fund the programme and relating projects

· Conduct research into International best practice with regard to WASH and health programmes and take the lead in discussing these with the team

· Take a leading role in ensuring that all of the statistics relating to the projects are accurate

· Take an active role in project management meetings, leading these where appropriate

· Work with the Malagasy team in increasing their skills and capacity, providing mentoring or training where appropriate

· Assist in developing monitoring and evaluation tools for projects, in line with WASH best practice where applicable, and to work with the team in the field on implementing these

· Analyse data and be able to clearly and concisely present to the team, with demonstrable ability in gathering and assimilating information from various sources, compiling documents (reports and proposals), and identifying lessons learnt and best practice

· Work alongside the Head of Project Development and Head of Finance in developing and managing the budgets relating to projects

· Take the lead in writing social media for the health and WASH based projects

· Form part of the team representing projects when required

· Liaise with the UK team in London ensuring clear communication at all times

· Maintain a database of projects and funders alongside the UK team in London

· Maintain the database of photographs for projects

· Take an active part in international team meetings and the support to other members of the team

· Any other tasks required by the Head of Project Development (Community Health, WASH & Construction) or Director of Operations and Heads of Departments commensurate with this role

Person specification

· Hold a relevant undergraduate/Master’s degree in or with elements relating to international development, community health or WASH, or have equivalent experience

· Demonstrate sound knowledge and a keen interest development; previous experience of community-based work would be an asset

· Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Azafady’s ethos and approach and be a good ambassador for Azafady at all times

· Have passion, curiosity and motivation for the job and the ability to enthuse others

· Have the ability and desire to work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers

· Have the ability and desire to build capacity and share skills across cultures

· Demonstrate proven ability to recognise and appropriately deal with challenging situations

· Demonstrate an awareness of and comfort with increased social and professional responsibility, working at all times with cultural sensitivity and respect

· Demonstrate the ability, social skills and confidence to give clear guidance and support to other members of the team in respect of the philosophy and procedures of Azafady in order to protect both their safety and the reputation of the NGO

· Be punctual and be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and to a high standard

· Have a flexible and patient attitude

· Have excellent problem-solving skills

· Be able to work both independently and as part of a team

The successful candidate will:

· Be able to financially support themselves for the duration of their internship (advice on individual fundraising available)

· Be equipped with a laptop computer (non-tablet kind)

Country and organisation background

Madagascar is one of the most impoverished and least developed countries in the world, ranking 151/187 on the UNDP 2013 Human Development Index. Within the remote Anosy region in the southeast of the country, the effects of chronic poverty are seen at their most extreme. More than four fifths of the local population earn less than the global poverty line of $1.25/day (UNDP, 2013).

This poverty is felt heavily in the health and education of many Malagasy people in Anosy; less than 38% of people have access to clean water, (Instat, 2010), which can cause diarrhoea and other significant health issues and approximately 50% of pregnant women with untreated syphilis will transmit the infection to their unborn child, resulting in profound adverse outcomes. Nationally, for every 100 children that enter primary school only 66 finish, (UNICEF 2011), and of those who do progress to secondary school only 65 out of every 100 students make it to their final year, (UNESCO, 2015). This has significant implications throughout Madagascar but especially in Anosy where 65% of people are illiterate.

Azafady UK is a British registered charity partnered with a Malagasy NGO which has been operating in the impoverished Anosy region of south east Madagascar for over 15 years. Azafady works with and in support of urban and rural communities in southeast Madagascar, aiming to tackle the immediate effects of extreme poverty, support long-term development and protect the environment. Its central mission is to build the capacity of individuals and organisations to lead and support sustainable conservation and development initiatives in south east Madagascar, with the objective of securing local community access to quality health, education and livelihoods assets, and increasing local capacity to conserve and manage natural resources including unique but greatly endangered forest environments.

Azafady’s health projects are predominantly focused on helping mothers to safeguard the health of themselves and their babies, increasing students’ awareness of sexual health and STIs and supporting communities to build clean drinking water wells and safe sanitation. Azafady’s education projects are predominantly focused on the construction of primary, middle and secondary schools, however it has become apparent that public primary schools in the Anosy region are having difficulties recruiting, paying and training teachers, a situation exacerbated by the effects of the 2009 political crisis, and one that is particularly notable in remote rural villages.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter outlining how their skills and experience match the requirements in the role description criteria to Rachel Mather by email on Rachel.Mather@azafady.org. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Long-listed applicants will have an initial informal chat with Madagascar based staff and short listed applicants will then be offered a face-to-face interview with the London team in person.

More information on the work of Azafady can be found at www.azafady.org.