Women’s Groups Coordinator

The following is a volunteer position requiring a commitment of at least 3 months.

Manda Wilderness Community Trust: The Manda Wilderness Community Trust (MWCT) helps some of the poorest and least supported communities in a corner of northern Mozambique and one of Africa's last true wildernesses. MWCT actively involves over 20,000 local Nyanja people in 16 villages spread throughout the region in sustainable development projects to improve their today and give hope for their tomorrow. The Manda Wilderness Project combines responsible tourism, grassroots practical help for the war-weary people of Mozambique and a last chance to protect a pristine corner of real Africa. It aims to support conservation and community development through the engines of a successful tourist lodge (Nkwichi Lodge) and a UK-based charity (The Manda Wilderness Community Trust).

"Manda is like a three-legged African cooking pot. Only with all three legs of conservation, community development and high-level tourism can it be really useful." -Patrick Simkin, Co-founder of the Manda Wilderness Project

As the first tourism development in a region of extreme poverty, the Project was created to address the needs of the local Nyanja people. It aims to:

• put control of one of Africa's last true wildernesses into local hands
• improve local livelihoods through employment, trade and business mentorship
• develop local people's skills to the point the Project can be handed over to them

Description of Role:

-Manage and work with 5 women's groups, including revitalizing those that have not been active for some time.

-Expand programs by facilitating training in entrepreneurship, business skills, cooking and agriculture

-Start up new women's groups upon requests of villages

-Organize community based women's sports tournaments including football/soccer and netball

Requirements:

-Applicants should have a background in women's studies, agriculture, the culinary arts, social studies or other related field

-Tentative project plan should be thought out before arrival

Desired skills:

-Fluency in Portuguese and/or Nyanja or Chichewa would be a plus

-Previous experience working in developing nations

-Excellent organizational skills and experience in project planning

-Ability to plan effectively and self-manage

-Motivated to learn and take initiative in planning and envisioning programs

Who will you be volunteering with? During the project you will be working alongside an enthusiastic, international and local team of volunteers and staff who will be running other sustainability focused projects in the Manda Wilderness area. In the office you will be working independently the majority of the time but with the support of the Community Projects Manager. You will be working in the beautiful Manda Wilderness region in several of the 16 villages comprising 20,000 people who live in the conservation area.

How will you be living? You will be staying at the Manda Wilderness Lodge and sleeping in the volunteer village with other volunteers working on related Manda Wilderness Community Trust projects. Accommodation includes your own private hut with an open-air shower and a composting toilet. All meals are prepared by the chefs at Nkwichi Lodge, incorporating fresh produce from the Manda Wilderness Agricultural Project and will cater to all dietary requirements. During your stay you are also welcome to try out the activities offered by the lodge including snorkeling, canoeing, swimming, bird watching tours and remote village visits.

Where will you be living and working? Manda Wilderness is in the remote Lago District of Niassa Province. The area was ravaged by the civil war with most of the local population relocating to Malawi or Tanzania, only returning home in the early 1990s. For those who did return, it has been to a life of extreme poverty and limited prospects: most people survive on less than US$100 per year. Livelihood activities include subsistence farming, cultivating cassava, maize, and rice, fishing, hunting, harvesting firewood, bamboo, hardwood, grass; and petty trade. Infrastructure and communication is extremely limited (with fewer than 17kms of paved roads in an area that covers over 6,400 sq kilometers), educational and health services are rudimentary, and there are very few formal employment opportunities.

How will your days be spent? Your day will begin to the chorus of lake birds and the African sun peering through your hut roof. Breakfast centers around the big meeting desk with the other volunteers and staff. You will then divide your time planning your projects in the office at Nkwichi Lodge and out in the field meeting with the women's groups in several different villages in the area, training and facilitating training and promoting a spirit of entrepreneurship, commitment and hard work. The day ends as the sun sinks towards the western shores of the lake. As the temperature drops you are free to take a swim, share a drink, take a bite to eat or swap stories around the fire with other volunteers and guests staying at the lodge.

Please note that long term stays are preferred. All stays will involve a minimal contribution to cover the costs of food and accommodation.

This a perfect opportunity for a recent graduate to get experience after their studies. Upon request, it may be possible to arrange coursework or internship credit through your university.

We look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful Manda Wilderness region!

www.mandawilderness.org