Volunteer at a Children's Home-Africa

Children's Home Managers

Aerie Africa

www.aerieafrica.org

ORGANIZATION: Aerie Africa, Inc. is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit working in Ethiopia. We are currently funding a children's home (CCC) in the town of Soddo to provide a safe, nurturing environment to orphaned children that will encourage education to help build leaders of the future for Ethiopia. There are 68 children presently and a staff of 14.

The mission of Aerie is to provide orphaned Ethiopian children with a living environment that will meet each child's basic and medical needs; promote educational achievement; and offer opportunities to build social and life skills. In doing so, we aim to enable every Aerie graduate to reach his or her highest personal potential.

POSITION: The Children's Home Manager(s) is an extraordinary opportunity to have tremendous impact on the lives of the children that we serve. The key responsibility is to provide leadership, guidance and mentoring to all aspects of the operation in order to establish and maintain a structure that offers the best possible outcomes for the children. This means that the CHM's (Children's Home Managers) are actively and intimately involved in the running of the Home though they do not have specific ownership of day-to-day responsibility. The expectations of the role are that of mentoring, coaching, inspiring, and encouraging both staff and children to work together to reach their highest potential.

In addition, the CHM will provide the bridge to the American Board of Directors for Aerie and will ensure alignment of the budget decisions and fundraising needs. Responsibilities here include advising the Board and CCC on budget priorities and monitoring costs and expenditures with an eye towards the utmost effectiveness in spending and to avoid "surprises" in budget. The CHM's are the main source of information to the American Board and are expected to provide frequent and timely communication (as mutually agreed upon) of all aspects of the organization including – and especially – on the overall well-being of the children.

The CHM's will also be responsible for working with the numerous volunteers and visitors that arrive on-site. This will include defining projects and needs, interacting and hosting, and helping to further our fund-raising efforts.

Finally, the American Board also has interest in continuing to support the broader community in Soddo and, to this end, expects that the CHMs work actively to build and strengthen relationships inside and outside of CCC that could ultimately help define priorities.

See the detailed job description below.

While this opportunity offers exceptional personal reward and satisfaction, it is a difficult and challenging assignment in many ways. The living conditions are typical developing country level, the culture can feel frustrating and illogical, everything will take longer than expected and you have to do a lot with a little. That said, the contributions that you will make to the lives of the children and staff and potentially the wider community are enormous and, for the right people, more than make up for the daily hurdles. Patience, persistence, faith, hope and optimism are critical to success.

The ideal candidates will have the following mix of personal and professional characteristics:

Commitment to the vision, mission and values of Aerie Africa

• Bright, self-motivated and proactive
• Energetic, extroverted and warm personal style
• Persistent and resilient
• Optimistic and enthusiastic with vision for what is possible
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to align staff around a vision
• Detail oriented and able to execute a plan
• Highly team-oriented with a strong ability to build deep relationships
• Ability and willingness to coach and mentor to staff and children
• Creative and resourceful
• Sensitive to cultural diversity
• Sound judgment and ability to make decisions and solve problems
• Excellent communication skills
• Flexible and adaptable
• Hard-working and passionate about making a difference
• Honest and trustworthy with highest personal integrity
• Solid understanding of, and skills necessary to oversee management of CCC budget
• Minimum of a four year degree from an accredited university
• Minimum of two year work or volunteer experience with children and or a non-profit organization

Job Description for CCC Home/Proposed Reimbursements

Home Manager

• General
  • Honor and help fulfill the purpose and key values of the CCC Home
  • Help ensure that all children's rights are protected and all home rules are followed
  • Attend all regularly scheduled staff meetings, including:
    • weekly management staff meeting
    • bi-monthly All-staff meeting
  • Provide regular communication between CCC Management staff and the Board of Directors of Aerie Africa through weekly report, skype conversations, email, etc.

• Staff Management and Training
  • Help train and develop management staff to continue to implement best practices and policies for the CCC Home and Aerie Transitional program.
  • Help train Head Nurse, Nanny Nurses and Dean in areas of childcare best practices
  • Accountant
    • Meet regularly with Accountant to provide budgetary oversight
    • Work with Accountant to help run home with greater financial efficiency
    • Work closely with Accountant and Aerie Board during Oct. – Dec. to develop budget proposal for new fiscal year
  • Dean of Students
    • Meet weekly with Dean to discuss weekly tasks & work plan
    • Provide support to Dean to help him fulfill job description
    • Work with Dean to plan and lead management and all-staff meetings
    • Work with Dean to maintain staff records, including periodically updated job descriptions
    • Work with Dean to complete quarterly staff evaluations
  • Head Nurse
    • Provide support to Head Nurse to help her fulfill her job description
    • Meet weekly with Head Nurse to discuss tasks and weekly work plan

• Education and Psycho-social Development
  • Work with Dean and Head Nurse to regularly update records on children in database (medical records, family background, psycho-social development, academic progress, etc.)
  • Help to develop and implement programs to guide children towards greater psycho-social independence as they approach and transition through reintegration stage
  • Help develop programs and initiatives to instill in children skills that will help them make a living, gain employment, and maintain future financial independence
  • Participate in discussions of discipline issues
  • Work with Dean to support and further develop "family program"
  • Participate in bi-monthly friday family program meetings
  • Work with Dean to develop recreational programs on the compound
  • Work with Dean to develop educational and recreational programming during school breaks

• Child – Sponsor Relations
  • Ensure that thank you letters are written by children after receiving packages from sponsors
  • Ensure that regular letters, pictures, updates, etc. are sent to sponsors
  • Help develop policies when needed regarding child – sponsor relationships and contact
  • Periodically provide blog updates for Aerie Africa blog

• Compound Maintenance Supervision
  • Work with Facilities Coordinator to ensure that the compound is kept clean and well maintained; ensure that maintenance needs are addressed when necessary
  • Work with Facilities Coordinator to ensure that gardens are cared for, and produce is used in the CCC kitchen
  • Work with Facilities Coordinator to help further oversee animal-raising program
  • Work with Facilities Coordinator to oversee compound gardens
  • Support kids with their garden plots in the Garden Project
  • Help further improve the compound for the quality of life of the children who call CCC home

• Research, Networking and Policy
  • Oversee the process of new children coming to CCC to ensure that the child meets the proper criteria, has proper documentation, and that CCC is in the best interest of the child.
  • Read up on current research, studies and initiatives related to alternative child-care options and programs, both institutional and non-intuitional to help inform future decisions regarding Aerie / CCC mission, priorities and policies
  • Work to build relationships and networks with other NGOs, alternative childcare providers, etc. from whom we can learn and with whom we can partner
  • Help develop and advocate for best-practice policies with regards to who the CCC home provides care to and with regards to how CCC provides help to OVCs in the Soddo area
  • Help develop and implement sustainable policies for the CCC home and Aerie Transitional program.

CCC Children's Home Manager(s) Proposed Reimbursements

Travel

• Initiation of assignment
  • Airfare to and from Addis Ababa (from home city, economy class) for volunteer/ spouse
    • Up to $500 for transport of personal items (extra baggage or shipping costs)
    • Transportation to Soddo
    • Annual Leave
      • 21 days of annual leave
      • Airfare to and from Addis Ababa (from home city, economy class) for volunteer, spouse, and dependent children (under 18 years old)
      • Transportation to Addis
      • Interval Breaks
        • Up to $300 per quarter for trips within Ethiopia

Housing

• Housing provided at CCC children's home
  • Two bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and bathroom

Stipend

• For a couple, $600 per month for food and other living expenses
• For an individual, $300 per month for food and other living expenses

Benefits

• Up to $2000 annually for medical insurance (to be purchased by volunteer)

Other Expenses Reimbursed

• CDMA card and internet minutes
• Local Ethiopian cell phone and minutes for local (within Ethiopia) calls