 Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) needs your skillsVSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Our vision is a world without poverty in which people work together to fulfil their potential. We bring people together to share skills, creativity and learning to build a fairer world. Agriculture Adviser at the Lukore Cooperative society, Kwale District, KenyaWhat's the context and purpose of the role? The Lukore Cooperative Society was developed to help the poor of Lukore generate income through fruit processing. The area is rich in fruit production, much of which goes to waste. You'll work with members of the Society to develop ways of generating income by various methods of fruit processing, marketing, improved quality and access to new markets. Your knowledge of small business development will help develop the organisation's capacity by providing training in various skills such as labelling, quality control, packaging, financial planning and management issues. The outcome of your placement will be to allow the Society to run a profitable cooperative based on a strong working relationship between the members, management committee, marketing and production staff. Your contribution will increase the skills of the 52 members of the Society who in turn will pass on their knowledge to others, including their families. What does the role involve?
What skills, experience and personal qualities are needed for the role? Ideally you'll be educated to degree level in food technology with a bias in fruit processing. Through practical experience you'll be able to provide training on quality control, packaging and marketing in a small business environment. In order to achieve the outcome of increasing the income generated by the Society, you'll be able to assist with financial and management issues and have excellent communication skills to produce successful training. You'll need an approachable and accessible nature, as the job entails constant communication with various members of the Society. In addition sensitivity to working in poor rural communities and an ability to be flexible and adaptable will ensure that you get the most from this placement. As you'll be working with local communities, an effort to learn Kishwahili will come in very handy and you should be willing to ride a motorbike to get around. And the rest… We'll ask you to commit to 12 - 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we'll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local salary, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends. www.vso.org.uk/volunteering Applications Please send your CV and short covering letter to: Hannah Gilman Hannah.gilman@vso.org.uk. For further information please visit www.vso.org.uk |
