Refugee UN Volunteer: Youth Activities Monitor

Details

Mission and objectives

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Context

Kakuma refugee operation is home to more than 283,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from 22 different nationalities; with the majority originating from South Sudan and followed by Somalia, Burundians and Congolese. Children and youth constitute approximately 70% of the registered refugee population. While in general the refugees and the host community continue to live in harmony, the continued increase in refugee numbers, minimal prospects for livelihood options coupled with the Government’s encampment policy present challenges to peaceful co-existence, social cohesion and increased competition over scarce resources. Additionally, the local host community (Turkana) is mostly pastoralist and with the recent cyclic droughts, many of them have not only lost their livestock but there are limited options for alternative livelihoods such as agriculture (area is climatically harsh and dry). For years, refugees have been mainly dependent on humanitarian assistance with minimal livelihood and self-reliance opportunities, also raising the refugees’ expectations that their protection needs will be taken care of by external actors. This combined has created a high level of dependency, resulting in low refugee participation and challenges in sustaining the current assistance programmes. Harnessing the existing assets and resources in the community, the task is to change the mindset. The continuous security problems in the region might threaten smooth access to asylum and mobility for refugees. Refugees are likely to face more restrictions, hence engaging them in well-though out-programmes on education and social protection programmes, including youth and community out-reach activities, will not only serve as a safety net but will also contribute to their well-being and development towards peaceful coexistence. UNHCR invites applications from qualified candidates to the apply for the position of Refugee UNV Volunteer to support the implementation of youth activities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei in line with UNHCR strategic plan 2021-2025, KISEDP II and the SIRIKA plans. The focus will be on supporting the physical and emotional well-being of youth, further developing youth capacities, empowering youth and promoting the role of youth as agents of peace and social cohesion, thereby leadings towards peaceful, sustainable and secure co-existence within the refugee community and towards the host community in close collaboration with UNHCR Protection covering Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement. The position will be subject to review at the end of duration to examine the progress and determine the way forward.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer, and the overall guidance from the Senior Protection Officer the Refugee UN Volunteer will be assigned protection-related youth activities in line with UNHCR’s 2019-2022 National Youth Strategy under the guidance of UNHCR Protection covering Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement and in close coordination with relevant sector focal points (e.g., education, livelihood). The UN volunteer is expected to share an equal amount of time in the field and in the office for the duties will involve field activities and reporting on the field activities. The UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: •Conduct a stock-taking exercise of the effectiveness of current youth programmes and programmatic gaps in close collaboration with UNHCR and partners; make recommendations with regard to enhancing youth programming. •Provide support to the roll-out of special projects related to youth, including the Youth Initiative Fund (Dadaab and Nairobi) and other new initiatives in the operation. •Organize Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) twice per month with youth to identify pressing issues (for example in relation to documentation, service delivery, radicalization, secondary migration, feedback from young mothers on education needs, etc.), draft report and propose way forward. •Assist with the implementation of a Youth Working Group, arrange monthly meetings and draft minutes. •Submit monthly reports of activities which will be used at Nairobi level to produce a monthly “Youth Snapshot Report”. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: •Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); •Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. •Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. •Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. •Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. •Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.