WPE Prevention Officer

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org) is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC is currently working in over 40 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and lifesaving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies. 

The IRC began programming in northern Uganda in 1998 in response to mass displacement and devastation wrought by rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2002, the IRC expanded to the remote, conflict-affected region of Karamoja and in 2011, began working with refugees in Kampala. Monitoring the influx of South Sudanese refugees at the end of 2015, the IRC began scaling up its response to refugees arriving in the West Nile region. By promoting durable solutions that deliver on the interdependent aims of saving lives, strengthening institutions, and supporting social cohesion, the IRC in Uganda is laying the building blocks for long-term stability and development - bringing people from harm to home. The IRC currently works in 9 districts in Uganda, including Kitgum, Lamwo, Kyegegwa, Moroto, Amudat, Yumbe, Arua, Kasese and Kampala. The IRC will be moving into additional/new locations in refugee settlements in Kiryandongo and Zombo.

The IRC is currently implementing its health and nutrition program in West Nile and Acholi focusing on providing primary health care services to refugees in their settlements. Similar services will be extended to the new locations starting January 2020.

Job Overview:
Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Program strives to work with local structures to facilitate community-based and community-driven approaches to contribute to GBV prevention and response, including youth to facilitate a violence free community for women and girls. With funding from UNFPA, IRC will work to address socio-cultural and economic barriers that hinder HIV preventive behaviors and constrain timely access to sexual reproductive health, HIV and GBV prevention treatment and care services among adolescents and youth of 10-24 years.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Technical
•Implementation of the UNFPA project in Karamoja region ensuring that stated goals and objectives are met and that programmes are appropriately monitored and evaluated.
•Reinforce adherence to the GBV guiding principles throughout all WPE activities.
•Ensure that engagement with women, girls and the wider community adheres to best-practice principles when working with survivors of GBV.
Grant Planning and Implementation
•Work with the district CDOs and leaders to identify the Community structures: Community Volunteers, SASA! Activist and Peer educators, train them and mentor them to conduct outreaches and sessions on GBV and adolescent sexual reproductive health and peer education.
•Prepare and maintain/update detailed work plan (s) with the structures that support and achieve activities.
•Hold regular debriefing feedback sessions with structures to identify challenges early and find appropriate local solutions to the problems and work to strengthen the working relation among the teams and with staff.
•Work with the district CDOs to identify EMAP groups and facilitate sessions, while incorporating SRH messaging while documenting progress in activities and lessons learnt.
•Provide ongoing supervision, support, mentoring and guidance to SASA! activists, Peer educators and Volunteers to ensure outreach activities meet the highest quality standards and adheres to GBV best practice and guiding principles.
•Create and consolidate strong synergies with the local community stakeholders like LCs, women groups, the religious leaders, and government counter parts like CDOs, the police and the health to support local activism at sub county level.
•Develop, reprint, and distribute adolescent friendly IEC materials on behavioral change and awareness aspects.
•Plan and mobilize communities to participate in community mass awareness events like women’s day, Girl Child Day, 16 days of activism, etc.
•Ensure timely and accurate procurements and finances for activities by ensuring all Purchase Requests and payment requests are raised at least two weeks before delivery date in accordance with program budget provisions to avoid disruption of activities.
•Develop and submit accurate weekly travel plans to Logistics (transport officer) every Thursday for the following week to allow Logistics plan for transport for smooth activity implementation.
Monitoring and Documentation
•Document all activities: Meetings, Trainings, Events, Field monitoring e. t. c. using appropriate SASA! and other documentation and reporting tools in the sector as required and ensure that all documents/data collected is properly and safely filed and stored.
•Actively plan and submit weekly and monthly work plans and progress reports against set work plans using agreed reporting tools to the Program Manager.
Coordination and representation
•Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders at the sub county including community leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, Community Based Organizations, and other IRC sectors to enhance multi-agency and sectoral cooperation and coordination.
•Ensure that the sub county leadership are briefed and consulted in the development of Women’s Protection and Empowerment programs and as much as possible are involved in the implementation, monitoring and supervision of activities.
•Participate actively in all sub county monthly protection meetings in all areas of operations to keep the sub county leadership informed and updated of activity implementation and progress.
•Participate actively in the district monthly protection meetings when requested.