Gender & Animal Production Specialist

Job Title

Project

Volunteers for Healthy Animals and Healthy Communities (V4H2)

Country

Ghana

Partner Organization

SEND-GHANA

Placement Location

Volunteer will be based in Salaga, but with travel time outside of Salaga to 7 other districts (Kpandai, Chamba, Tatale, Zabzugu
Chereponi, Chinderi, Wulenis)

Duration

3 months

Start Date

January 2018 (or as soon as possible)

Pre-Departure Training Dates

VWB covers the full cost of a 5-day pre-departure training session, available once a month:Sept 15 – 19, 2017 / Oct 13 – 17, 2017 / Nov 10 – 14, 2017 / Dec 8 – 12, 2017 / Jan 12 – 16, 2018

Eligibility Requirements

Open to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only

Language Requirements

Essential:
English

Desirable:
N/A

Volunteer will need to work with local language translator when working with community volunteers in the project communities

Essential:

• A university degree in gender analysis

Desirable:

• A university degree or coursework in Agriculture with specific expertise in Animal science (Health and production)

Professional Background/Skills

Essential:

• Work experience in the livestock sector in Canada or Africa
• Gender, livestock and development,
• Gender research, evaluation and monitoring
• Gender and enterprise development program
• Gender, livestock and climate change
• Use of participatory tools for research and development
• Gender and food security
• Knowledge of gender issues within the African contextAbility to write report and communicate in English

Desirable:

• Prior experience of working in rural under developed communities
• Knowledge of food security and nutrition issues
• Previous international work / volunteer experience in Ghana or other developing country

Placement Goal and Objectives (Preliminary)

Overall Goal:

To empower women and girls in the GMF with knowledge and skills to use livestock to improve family nutrition security and boost income levels

Objectives:

• To document livestock ownership and management practices among GMF members: husband, wife, boys and girls,
• To identify challenges and opportunities for women and girls to undertake livestock rearing in a businesslike manner and
• To document and share GMF best practices experiences in livestock management

All volunteers are expected to promote gender equality, environmental sustainability and good governance within their placement responsibilities.

Volunteer Terms and Conditions

VWB covers the majority of the costs of being an overseas volunteer, including:

• Travel and accommodation for the five-day pre-departure training course in Ottawa
• Return airfare to placement country and visa/permit costs
• The cost of required vaccinations, anti-malarial medication and overseas emergency travel health insurance
• A modest monthly living allowance (MLA) that will be paid into the volunteer’s bank account in Canada. The MLA is designed to be sufficient to cover simple housing, basic food requirements and other typical monthly living expenses.

Fundraising

VWB expects each volunteer to raise $500 prior to departure with a goal of $2,000 towards the overall project costs. In addition, VWB/VSF offers an award for the top volunteer fundraiser of the year.

How to Apply

If interested, please send your resume and a covering letter which clearly indicate the position you are applying for, and how your qualifications meet the requirements of this posting. Resume and cover letters can be sent to: Monique Charron at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you need more information, please contact Volunteer Program Manager Kristen Rodrigues at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Veterinarians Without Borders

For about ten years, Veterinarians without Borders/Vétérinaires sans Frontières (VWB/VSF-Canada) has been sending Canadian Veterinarians and Vet students to poor communities around the world to help increase the knowledge and skills of small-scale farmers to keep their cows, chickens, goats, pigs, guinea fowl and other livestock healthy, well-fed and housed securely.

VWB/VSF-Canada works for, and with, communities in need to foster the health of animals, people and the environment that sustain us. VWB/VSF-Canada works nationally and internationally to improve animal health knowledge, livelihoods development and public health.

About the Project: Volunteers for Healthy Animals and Healthy Communities (V4H2)

Volunteers for Healthy Animals and Healthy Communities (V4H2) project is a five-year program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through the Volunteer-Cooperation Program (VCP). For five years (from 2015 to 2020), Over 100 Canadian volunteers will work with local organizations and community partners in six developing countries to help create integrated animal health systems that will help to strengthen the livelihoods and household nutrition of livestock small-scale farmers.

This program operates in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. We work hand in hand with subsistence farmers (small-scale livestock producers) most of whom are women in developing capacity and increasing knowledge on promoting healthy relationship between animals, people and the environment. Majority of our partners are in remote and rural areas with very limited access to quality and affordable animal health services. Our volunteers work with our partners to identify and alleviate challenges around livestock farming as well as providing knowledge and education on zoonotic diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. Through this program, VWB strives to promote food security, gender equality and sustainable ecosystems as well as making meaningful contributions towards attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries.

We will be looking to recruit professors of veterinary medicine, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal and human nutritionists, laboratory experts, rural development specialists, food safety specialists, horticulturalists, community health workers, gender specialists, animal & public health professionals and other technical experts to support the specific needs identified by our local partners.