Protection Associate

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons and other persons of concern, and to seek durable solutions to their displacement. UNHCR’s operations are guided by international refugee and human rights law and by a strong commitment to accountability to affected popu-lations, age, gender and diversity (AGD) mainstreaming, and community-based protection ap-proaches. In Rwanda, UNHCR works in close collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and refugee and host communities to ensure protec-tion and assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. The operation focuses on protection delivery, access to basic services, self-reliance, peaceful coexistence with host communities, and preparation for durable solu-tions.

Rwanda was hosting 138,406 forcibly displaced persons, including refugees, asylum seekers, and other persons of concern, with the majority originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Many refugees remain in protracted displacement situations, requiring sustained humanitarian and protection support. Mahama Refugee Camp, located in Kirehe District near the Tanzanian border and managed by the UNHCR Kirehe Sub-Office, hosts 72,533 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Burundi and the DRC. More than half of the camp population are children under 18 years old, and the camp records approximately 180 births each month. The camp continues to experience population movements linked to family reunification, protection concerns, and access to assistance. In the context of reduced humanitarian funding, greater emphasis is being placed on self-reliance and graduation strategies for refugees. UNHCR works in close collaboration with implementing partners, UN agencies, NGOs, local authorities, and international organizations to deliver protection and assistance services, ensure coordinated interventions, and conduct regular field monitoring and community engagement activities in the camp.

Under the direct supervision of the Protection Offer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Support the implementation and mainstreaming of the Community-Based Protection (CBP) strategy across sectors and communities in Mahama Refugee Camp, including the application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
• Contribute to protection inter-agency coordination, information management, advoca-cy, documentation, and capacity-building initiatives, while maintaining regular en-gagement with refugee communities in Mahama Camp.
• Support the implementation of community-based protection strategies and develop tools that promote participatory approaches, ensuring that persons of concern are ac-tively involved in decisions affecting their rights, access to services, and durable solu-tions.
• Support in promoting the integration of Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) principles across all protection interventions, with particular attention to children, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups, and individuals with specific protection needs.
• Support the implementation of refugee graduation strategies and the inclusion of refu-gees in national services in collaboration with Kirehe District local authorities.
• Assist communities in developing community-owned initiatives addressing social, edu-cational, psychosocial, cultural, health, organizational, livelihood, child protection, and GBV-related concerns.
• Support community-based feedback and complaint mechanisms, including targeted assistance to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
• Assist partners in the timely identification, monitoring, and referral of protection risks and cases, particularly for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), vulnerable children, and survivors of GBV, ensuring AGD-sensitive approaches.
• Contribute to ongoing assessments and analysis of the perspectives, capacities, needs, and resources of persons of concern to strengthen evidence-based protection programming and interventions.
• Support community-based Child Protection and GBV prevention and response mech-anisms through awareness-raising, prevention activities, referrals, and follow-up sup-port services.
• Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for partners and community structures on Community-Based Protection, Child Protection, and Gender-Based Violence in Ma-hama Refugee Camp.

During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.