EU Aid Volunteer Factsheet Concern Worldwide
About the EU Aid Volunteer initiative The EU Aid Volunteers initiative provides opportunities for volunteers to engage in humanitarian aid. In the period 2016 to 2020, 4,000 individuals will be deployed by humanitarian organisations to support projects worldwide. A further 10,000 opportunities will be available for online volunteers to provide support. The majority of existing volunteering schemes in Europe have a domestic focus and few provide opportunities to support humanitarian aid. The EU Aid Volunteers initiative will bring volunteers from different countries to work together in joint projects in areas such as resilience-building, early warning and disaster risk management, as a practical expression of solidarity with communities vulnerable to humanitarian crises.
About Concern Worldwide Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries. Concern works in partnership with the very poorest people in these countries, directly enabling them to improve their lives, as well as using knowledge and experience to influence decisions made at a local, national and international level that can significantly reduce extreme poverty. In 2015, Concern positively impacted the lives of 22.5 million people. Concern’s people strategy acknowledges the continued importance of the spirit of volunteering and aims to facilitate entry points for individuals committed to working towards the common goal of helping people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives.
Concern is working in consortium with Alliance 2015 partners People in Need and ACTED on the EU Aid Volunteer project. Across the consortium a total of 14 EU Aid Volunteers will be deployed in a number of different countries. Concern will be hosting 5 EU Aid Volunteers in Malawi, Sierra Leone and Haiti.
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EU AID VOLUNTEER FACTSHEET
How will the EU Aid Volunteer initiative with Concern work? Concern Worldwide has been certified to European standards on the management of
humanitarian volunteers . Volunteering opportunities with Concern will consist of a short apprenticeship period at head
office in Dublin, Ireland followed by a one year deployment. EU Aid Volunteers will not be deployed to emergency response operations in areas of armed
conflict.
Who can apply to be an EU Aid volunteer EU Aid Volunteers candidates must be over 18 years of age. Must be citizens of EU Member States or long- term residents in the EU. Citizens from
countries such as EU candidate countries, potential candidate countries, countries from the EEA or the European Neighbourhood Policy may apply subject to the conclusion of bilateral agreements on their participation with those countries.
Where can you apply to become an EU Aid volunteer The list of vacancies will be published on the website of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) website. Applications can be made at https://jobs.concern.net/
Ciara Passmore and Kiyonga Mary Concern Worldwide Volunteers taking the MUAC of a child in Karamoja, Uganda, June 2015 2
EU AID VOLUNTEER FACTSHEET
Update from previous Concern Volunteers Adelaide Challier, Nutrition Trainee After in a short stint in Dublin, I worked in Ethiopia, Kenya for the Somalia programme, Rwanda and now South Sudan. I had the chance to experience different aspects of nutrition in various contexts, including a SMART in Kenya, a school project in Somalia, coverage surveys in Ethiopia, agrinutrition programme in Rwanda and CMAM/IYCF in emergency in South Sudan. During the two years, the system of mentorship has been great. I will continue working with Concern in Bentiu, South Sudan and hopefully expand the programme outside when the security situation improve.
8 month old Nyaboth Yuol, at a feeding centre supported by Concern Worldwide in Juba, South
Paul Johnston, WASH Trainee
Paul Johnston, driving the Bobcat used to move sand in Bentiu, South Sudan. Photo: Subodh Vijapure,
I have been working as a WASH Trainee with Concern, the experience has allowed me to work in several different countries and gain a very varied experience. I have spent time in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and the emergency programme in South Sudan. I have also had an opportunity to meet the WASH managers and coordinators from other programmes in Kampala and benefited greatly from their experiences shared on the WASH email group. My experience has varied between management of programmes and staff and also technical and advisory roles. I will be starting a new position with Concern as a WASH engineer in Lebanon and I extend my thanks to all those who I have had the pleasure to work with as their support has helped me gain the experience and skills required for the job.
Joe Jasperse, Health Trainee I still remember the first time that I heard of Concern, working on a disaster response project in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, and how impressed I was with the results that they were able to achieve. Now, after nearly two years of working firsthand with the Concern teams in head office, Rwanda, and Burundi, I have a new-found appreciation for all of the hard work and effort that goes in behind the scenes to make these results a possibility. From designing new nutrition projects in Rwanda to contributing to the final evaluation of our USAID child survival project in Burundi, my time with Concern has deepened my knowledge of maternal and child health, strengthened my management skills, and provided me with Joe Jasperse with Concern Worldwide, child daily reminders of why I chose to pursue a career in survival team in Burundi development. And while I’m not sure what comes next (short answer: vacation!), I’m certain that the knowledge, skills, and perspective I’ve acquired during my traineeship with Concern will help me to succeed in whatever the future holds. 2
EU AID VOLUNTEER FACTSHEET
Questions and answers on EU Aid Volunteers Q. Do I need previous volunteering experience? A. The requirements for each placement will vary volunteering depending on the context of deployment. Please refer to the competence profile of the vacancy you are interested in, in order to understand whether your profile is adequate for the position. See the Concern Worldwide website for current positions. Q. Will I be paid? A. The programme covers your expenses during the deployment, including travel costs, insurances, and accommodation is provided. In addition, EU Aid Volunteers will receive a monthly subsistence allowance covering everyday expenses such as food, local transport and other expenses. Rates for these will depend on the country of deployment. Q. Will I be trained? A. Adequate training is an essential part of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. All EU Aid Volunteers will participate in a centrally organised training programme and be assessed as to their readiness for deployment. The training session will contain modules such as Introduction to the European Union, its external relations and crisis response system; Introduction to humanitarian action, the Union humanitarian aid policy and the EU Aid Volunteers; managing personal safety, health and security; Project management; inter-cultural awareness and scenario-based exercise and many other modules which will be optional. Q. What will EU Aid Volunteers do during their deployment? A. The task assignment of each volunteer will be based on a prior needs assessment of the specific context of deployment. Each announcement for a placement will contain a detailed explanation of the
activities to be performed during the deployment. The deployed volunteers will work on different types of assignments, depending on their competence profile and experience. The activities performed by the EU Aid Volunteers will be in fields such as education and capacity-building, project management, disaster risk management support, food and nutrition, water and sanitation and monitoring and evaluation.
A full list of frequently asked questions can be found here
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EU AID VOLUNTEER FACTSHEET
www.concern.net Follow Concern online:
#EUAidVolunteers Republic of Ireland
52-55 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2 00 353 1 417 77 00
[email protected] Concer n Worldwide www.alliance2015.org
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This project is co-funded by the European Union for the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. The ideas in this document reflects only the author's view.
Cover photo: Kadiatu M. Turay, Student at National Commercial Junior Secondary School in Sierra Leone supported by Concern. Photo: Michael Duff May 2014 Published by Concern Worldwide © Concern Worldwide 2015 Concern Worldwide encourages printing or copying information exclusively for personal and non-commercial use provided that the source is clearly acknowledged. Concern Worldwide Working with the world’s poorest people to transform their lives www.concern.net
