idealistas.org

Place
We work on the North Coast of Peru, in the poorest districts surrounding the city of Trujillo. El Porvenir, our main area of work, is one of the zones with the highest index of social problems.

The Project
SKIP is a non-profit British association located in Peru since 2003. The association is involved with children, teenagers and their families, who belong to the marginal urban sectors of the second largest city in Peru, Trujillo, where they live at risk and in a situation of social exclusion. We bring a quality education to the children with low means in El Porvenir, contributing to the development of capacities in not only the children but also their families in order to make them the principal actors of change in their lives. We work in conjunction with the families with a holistic approach in the areas of education, psychology, economics and social life.

The Economic Development Project has two focuses. We help SKIP families create sustainable sources of income and, at the same time, we provide them with opportunities to develop their abilities to pursue their goals. We work with more than 150 families organized in neighborhood groups and they choose themselves how they are going to work together. Until now, we have supported projects of sanitary funds, improved kitchens, artisan workshops, sewing workshops, weaving workshops, sales of products for mothers, mentoring, literacy and educational conferences. On the economic standpoint, we have a micro-loans project that helps increase the family income and also offer the opportunity to develop their money management abilities. We also help parents look for employment; we help them open savings accounts and offer them workshops on the matters that are necessary to know to manage a successful business, develop their social skills and confidence.
SKIP is a small organization that is still developing and still depends on the support of volunteers.

The Position
In order to continue working in the same spirit of dedication and to encourage the work of volunteer, SKIP is looking for an Economic Development Volunteer who would be available for a minimum of 2 months, with a preference given to candidates who could commit for a longer time. Some of the position’s requirements are that the volunteer has an intermediate level of Spanish and also has a work experience of 1 year minimum.

The Economic Development Volunteer will work under the Coordinator of Economic/Family Development. His/her functions will be to participate in the operation of the micro credits program, in the development
and monitoring of existing projects (especially the workshops) and also in the creation of new projects.

Responsibilities
The Economic Development Volunteer will take participate and develop the implementation of two project themes: Economic Development and Trainings and Projects.

Economic Development:
• Make a participative analysis of the needs of the SKIP families and the community of El Porvenir, focusing on the sustainable income-generating activities;
• Develop short – and long-term plans according to the needs that were identified;
• Implement revenue-generating activities through a participative planning process and after a market analysis and viability studies;
• Supervise the successful execution of the micro-credits project;
• Develop a database available to all beneficiaries of SKIP on the topics of economics, finances, social studies…
• Maintain adequate documentation of all interactions with SKIP beneficiaries;
• Provide weekly and monthly reports on the department activities and the micro-credits program for the management and the association;
• Ensure the right application of processes, improve them when necessary and develop a system of institutional recording;
• Comply with the two functions assigned by management;
• Supervise and coordinate the team and manage the department’s budget and books;
• Develop an institutional network with other organizations.
Training Sessions and Projects:
• Make a participative analysis of the needs of the SKIP families and the community of El Porvenir in order to develop training programs at short and long term according to the needs identified;
• Organize, design, coordinate and facilitate the training workshops – except for health- and education-related matters – with the social work;
• Organize, design coordinate and facilitate the business workshops;
• Supervise the workshops of production (sewing, weaving, fancy jewelry making);
• Supervise and coordinate the projects and trainings of first priority;
• Coordinate and develop the sales of products made by the mothers (in Peru and abroad);
• Provide weekly and monthly reports to management;
• Comply with the two functions assigned by management;
• Program and execute the projects of family improvement and personal development (through mentoring of individuals or groups of parents in conjunction with the use of psychology and social work), according to the identified needs.

Working Conditions:
With these responsibilities, we aim at offering to the applicant interested in the position the opportunity to integrate a new community, create new relationships with an international and multicultural team, and take advantage of the exchange to develop a deeper understanding of a new culture and of means to fight poverty at a community level. It will also be a truly worthwhile experience for an individual looking at pursuing a career in international and non-governmental organizations or for a person wishing to expand his/her experience.

Profile:
• Intermediate level of Spanish;
• Work experience minimum of one year;
• Significant experience in leading, organizing and motivating groups;
• Experience in Economic Development, in particular with small businesses
• Experience working or volunteering in Latin America, ideally in Peru
• Ability to transfer skills and knowledge, but also to listen to suggestions
• Strong knowledge of the obstacles created by poverty in human development and strong faith in the abilities of people with small economic means to extract themselves from poverty;
• Significant experience in the planning and implementation of community projects;
• Work and volunteer experience in Latin America, ideally in Peru;
• Ability to pass on competences and knowledge, but also to listen to suggestions;
• Ability to work as a team, but also to take initiatives and work in an independent manner;
• Have an open mind and be ready to learn about the local culture, to be able to relate to the community and live in an international environment, with a team spirit;
• Be ready to exercise patience and show flexibility in living modestly and work with limited resources;
• Have realistic expectations and a sincere desire to work in a new and unknown environment;
• Be ready to work flexible hours.

Although we can accept applications from those with limited Spanish speaking ability, volunteers are strongly encouraged to learn as much Spanish as they can prior to arrival as this will greatly enhance their volunteering experience.

For more information, please see our website www.skipperu.org

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator with any questions, or to request an application form, on volunteering@skipperu.org

If you would like, there is also the opportunity to work on other programmes that we are running, in addition to economic development, we can talk about this further during the application process.