Program Officer – Project Wezesha Full Time NEW

Who we are

Our mission is to provide education and health interventions which “light a path out of poverty” and bring hope
for a brighter future for impoverished students and communities in Kenya.
We believe that simply being born into poverty should not dictate the end of an individual’s story. Central to our
mission is economic inclusion: ensuring that women, children and young adults from impoverished
communities in Kenya can embrace hope for their futures. We place a special emphasis on empowering
women and girls to strive for gender equality and boost economic growth, that allows for individuals to break
out of the poverty cycle in the communities where we work. Since our founding in 2012 we have impacted
over 78,000 individuals from impoverished communities across Kenya.

About the Position

Job Summary

Supporting implementation and monitoring of Project Wezesha across Kajiado County with a critical focus on building community capacity on VSLAs and improving the general livelihoods within the communities the project serves.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Project Implementation

• Conduct daily monitoring of the project affiliated women groups to identify capacity gaps for training and capacity enhancement.
• Develop and initiate community empowerment plans in collaboration with women groups, community leaders and other relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate and monitor community empowerment activities to ensure they align with the overall program goal.
• Serve as the primary contact between the women groups and the project
• Identify challenges the communities face and recommend the best approaches for program adaptive management
• Facilitate workshops and training sessions for the women groups and follow up on the VSLAs to ensure they reach their optimum capacity
• Link the women groups/communities to funding opportunities available within the county
• Prepare and submit monthly reports summarizing the program’s status, impact, and areas requiring improvement.
• Contribute to the development of best practices for scaling the program to additional schools.

Community Engagement

• Organize and facilitate training sessions to the community members especially the women groups focusing on VSLA development
• Promote the replication of project components at the household level.
• Mobilize community members and ensure meaningful participation of women in all project activities at all levels.
• Build strong relationships with community leaders, local institutions, and relevant stakeholders.
• Work with local extension officers and technical experts to deliver practical demonstrations.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Collect data and document progress of VSLAs, kitchen gardens, deep tillage, tree planting activities and replication of the project components at the household/community level.
• Prepare field reports, success stories, and case studies in collaboration with the M&E team.
• Regularly share pictorial updates of the project’s initiatives.
• Monitor the participation and progress of women-led initiatives and provide regular updates.

Job Specification

Education, Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences,Community Development, Development Studies, or related field.
• At least five years of experience in a related field with progressively responsible experience in similar roles.
• Experience working with rural communities, especially women and youth, is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of community economic empowerment, VSLA establishment and community mobilization is highly desirable.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to ride a motorcycle and possession of a valid license is an added advantage.
• Comfortable utilizing different data collection and reporting systems e.g. Kobo, ODK, Google Forms, Excel/Sheets, etc
• Ability to work independently and in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Willingness to travel frequently between schools/communities and work in diverse, field-based environments.

Job Location

Kajiado County

Contract Details

Fixed Term Nine (9) Months’ Contract, renewable subject to availability of funds and performance

Equal Opportunity

Light Up Hope is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion within the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Light Up Hope makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and the general needs of the organization at the time.

Tagged as: Kenya, Light Up Hope