Project Officer Full Time

Community Consortium Uganda (CCU) will implement a 15 months project, Obstacle Race Against Stigma and Shame (ORASS) in Dar Es Salaam, Tabora, and Mbeya.

ORASS is a transformative, four-phase initiative designed to tackle mental health stigma among Tanzanian youth aged 10-24. ORASS integrates sports-based interventions, active learning, peer support networks, and community engagement to address the mental health challenges faced by young people in Tanzania. The project aims to create lasting behavioral changes by using physical challenges like obstacle races, wall climbing, aerobics, and adventure sports to mirror the emotional and mental barriers associated with mental health stigma. These activities not only promote resilience but also integrate mental health awareness and stigma reduction directly into the sports experience. ORASS is innovative in its approach by combining sports, experiential learning, and mental health education, moving beyond traditional classroom-based interventions.

Roles and Responsibilities

Plan, organize, conduct and document ORASS sessions for young people according to the methodology quality standards.

• Work with schools and local authorities to identify and enroll young people and their caregivers based on an inclusion criterion.
• Develop weekly plans for sessions with adolescents and their caregivers.
• Mobilize adolescents and caregivers to attend weekly sessions.
• Facilitate and assess weekly sessions with different groups of adolescents and caregivers in local language.
• Ensure sessions are conducted in line with the ORASS methodologies and quality standards.
• Ensure attendance is being recorded as per ORASS standards.
• Manage ORASS session resources well and use them for the intended purpose.
• Responsible for managing all aspects of project cycle including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
• Monitor project expenditures and ensure budget is strictly adhered to, financial procedures are observed, and all supporting documents are provided

Support and coach-mentor teachers and duty bearers to learn on the job.

• Identify gaps among stakeholders and mentor them to improve.
• Enable stakeholders to acquire facilitation skills for group sessions.

Report on activities implemented and concerns identified.

• Collect information and data from sessions for reporting.
• Timely project activity reports and recording
• Submits regular and timely reports to the Project manager on progress towards outputs as well as challenges and successes.
• Documents beneficiary stories of change and takes good quality photos of activities with beneficiary consent.
• Collect feedback from adolescents and their caregivers on ORASS activities as needed.
• Maintain a database and attendance trackers of beneficiaries based on ORASS cohorts.

Child safeguarding and case Management.

• Conduct safety audits to ensure spaces for sessions are safe for adolescents and caregivers.
• Ensure that safeguarding and protection procedures are understood and adhered to.
• Report all safeguarding and protection concerns on time to facilitate timely management.
• Identify, refer and follow-up adolescents and their caregivers in need of additional support to relevant partners.
• Provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) to identified cases before referral.
• Prepare and submit quality and timely reports as needed.

Others

• Attend stakeholder meetings and represent the organisation!
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
• Responsible and accountable for assigned project assets and supplies during the project life span.

Qualifications, Experiences.

• S/he must be a resident of the community or willing to live in the community
• S/he must have attained a degree or at least a diploma in the fields of, Social Work and Social Administration, Community Psychology, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Development Studies, Social Sciences.
• Ability to understand, speak and write English.
• Ability to speak the local languages
• Understanding of Child Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies is requirement.
• Competent using facilitation and helping skills.
• Good at communicating information in simple, interesting, and creative ways.
• Must be child friendly and act in the best interest of children as well as have a volunteer spirit.
• Demonstrated planning, implementation, and time management skills.
• A background or hands on experience in Mental health services is desired.
• Have a clean criminal record.
• Possession of riding skills and a driving license is required

Skills

• Strong facilitation skills
• Teamwork (team oriented)
• Strong social and communication skills
• Affinity with adults
• Good observation skills
• Willingness to work and live in remote areas.
• Creativity

“Commitment to the vision and goals, including adherence to the Child Safety Policy, is essential”.

Tagged as: Community Consortium Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania