UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

CODR000270-- Staff Counsellor

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long- established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

General Information

Living Conditions

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse.

Living conditions therefore vary between MONUSCO duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water. The ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential. Accommodation is very expensive in both Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. Supermarkets exist in the large towns (e.g. Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani), but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative.

All MONUSCO duty stations are considered non-family duty stations, except for Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Entebbe which are now considered family duty stations, and most are currently under UN Security Phase III (“relocation phase”: internationally-recruited staff are temporarily concentrated or relocated to specified sites/locations). In addition to insecurity related to the relatively volatile political situation as well as various conflict situations, certain places are subject to increasing street and residential crime, including in Kinshasa and Goma.

Some degree of medical service is provided in all MONUSCO duty stations. Certain vaccinations are mandatory for MONUSCO personnel to enter the DRC, while others are compulsory for all other incoming persons. It is possible for incoming MONUSCO personnel, including UN Volunteers, to be asked to provide proof of some or all vaccinations, though this is unlikely. All UN Volunteers must ensure that they are upto-date with all appropriate vaccinations, which should be clearly and properly endorsed in the International Certificate of Vaccination (“carte jaune”). Malaria is present virtually throughout the DRC, and it is therefore recommended to take prophylaxis.

The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller’s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), UN Volunteers are recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and VLA payments will be processed in cash. UN Volunteers have the possibility to send part of their allowances to a bank account abroad.

In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.

Assignment Details

Assignment Title                                Staff Counsellor

Organizational Context & Project Description

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) was established in 1999 under the auspices of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). – http://monusco.unmissions.org.

Sustainable Development Goals       16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

UNV Focus Area                                Peace building

Task description

Within the terms of the organization’s delegated authority, and under the direct technical supervision of Chief Counselling, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Provision of clinical counseling to any staff member within mission area requiring professional support and assistance in resolving any personal and/ or work related problem(s);
• Individual assessments in the case of staff members experiencing difficulty coping and/or presenting mental-health related symptoms or syndromes;
• Monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations;
• Develop, organize and implement a resilience-building programme(s) for all staff;
• Liaise with National Mental Health professionals and other Psych—medical resources when need arises;
• Collaborate with the Medical Services, Security and Personnel Section in providing supportive interventions;
• Advise on organizational psychosocial issues;
• Perform critical incident stress interventions (individual and group) whenever and wherever there is a need for it. Perform counseling follow-up support;
• Provision of technical guidance to Peer Helpers Assess situations in regions and isolated sites on a regular basis;
• Support all Counselling activities;
• Conduct training and workshops on Stress management and other related topics;
• Provide monthly report and statistics;
• Perform any other related duties as may be required by the Chief Counselling

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.

Results/Expected Outputs

• Develop high- quality counseling and support programmes aimed at reducing stress levels for staff;
• Identification of stress factors and the creation of appropriate measures and programmes to address such situations;
• Implement such programmes, e.g. by providing counseling, undertaking team-building activities, proposing measures to reduce stress in the workplace;
• The well-being of staff members are enhanced by providing services in timely, effective, efficient, and professional manner;
• Work-relationships are improved and conflict at work place are minimized;
• Stress-related health problems in the mission are significantly reduced;
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required Degree Level                          Bachelor degree or equivalent

Education - Additional Comments

Bachelor/Master Degree in clinical psychology, or psychiatry

Years of Required Work Experience     36 months

Experience Description

Three years of professional experience (among which three at international level)

Language Skills

• English ( Mandatory ) , Level - Fluent
• AND - French ( Optional ) , Level - Working Knowledge

DoA Expertise

• Mental health ( Mandatory )

Additional Requirements for Area of Expertise

• Microsoft Office

Need Driving Licence                Yes

Conditions of Service and other information

Conditions of Service          View Conditions of Service: https://www.unv.org/become-volunteer/volunteer-abroad/conditions-of-service

Conditions of Service for International Specialist:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,587. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.

For example, kindly enter the link Calculator: https://vmam.unv.org/

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements).

UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for periodic home visit and for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). Resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.

Application Code                 CODR000270-2211

Application procedure

If you have not yet registered in the UNV Talent pool, please apply by registering your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup.

Important: Once you have created your UNV account by validating your email address, please complete all sections of your profile. Go to ‘My Page’ section of your profile, click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink and select the special call you would like to apply.

If you are registered in the UNV database, please update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/ Go to ‘My Page’ section of your profile, click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink and select the special call you would like to apply.

Application deadline:         12-09-2017

Disclaimer

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.