Ministry of Local Government and Housing. To Increase Community Self-Monitoring capacity in the Northern Province

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1 VSOJD Job pack: Monitoring and Evaluations Advisor (Community Self-Monitoring) Country Zambia Employer Ministry of Local Government and Housing Duration 12 Months Job purpose To Increase Community Self-Monitoring capacity in the Northern Province Contents: 1. Job Description Personal considerations Background and contextual information... 5 Page 1

2 1. Job Description Background Community Self- Monitoring (CSM) is the process by which the community is empowered to oversee and monitor community-based initiatives in their areas. In socio-economic development, the targeted community is empowered to take full control of their won development outcomes, by monitoring and evaluating development planning and access to public services in their respective areas. The community through development structures in their area determine to give their voice in socio-economic planning of their areas, in profiling infrastructure projects and sectors in their communities to be targeted for improved public service, agriculture, health and education priorities, etc. in some communities, communities are trained in use of geographic information systems to use in collecting their own spatial data which they use to triangulate education, road and health infrastructure priorities in their areas. CSM is also used as a process to empower communities to oversee and monitor the performance of some initiatives. On the Irish/Aid project in the Northern Province of Zambia, the community will be empowered to profile, document and analyse their socio economic planning: i.e. map their own areas, sighting the location and numbers of schools, clinics, road networks; profiling their immediate socio economic needs; the performance of their constituency development funds, etc. With this information they will be able to submit simple short reports to the local authorities, arguing for equitable development targeting in their areas. This work will be targeted at the local area Ward Development Committees (WDC) substructure level a legal community level development structure in local government in Zambia. The advisor will work closely with the local authority community development planners at each council to build the capacity of communities to enable them establish community-self monitoring. This will include teaching the communities to identify: their socio-economic indicators they should be monitoring; who should monitor (monitoring plan); who should report, the format (hand written) and who the report should target and when; who should analyse and how to involve the community in the process. Some of the information will include the following: How many people live in the WDC, villages (local area census) How many people are accessing improved roads, schools, clinics, water, electricity etc How many people applied and accessed CDF funding; and have retired it etc The volunteer will also assist the community to identify easy and cost effective methods of: collecting the information on indicators; arranging community meetings to share data, reporting the information and identify other avenues of effective use of the information to influence improved, equitable area-wide access to development initiatives. Page 2

3 Responsibilities Key Performance Indicators Competencies Skills and Knowledge Professional qualifications and experience: Institute a community self-monitoring 4 wards have full-fledged Degree in Public Administration, model at the substructure level (ward community self-monitoring community development or related development committees) systems field, post graduate studies in relevant To help communities use monitoring data to influence decision makers on local area development matters To build the capacity of council community development officers in community participation in instituting community self - monitoring Communities demonstrating ability to submit informed statements about development priorities to the councils Council community development officers demonstrate capacity to pioneer community selfmonitoring model in more wards not targeted in this round of the project Building and Sustaining working relationships The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal. Open Minded and Respectful A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture. Seeking and Sharing Knowledge Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process. Facilitating Positive Change The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches. field is preferable Background in local government strongly desirable Practical experience in monitoring and evaluations Experience in working in communities Minimum of 5 year experience Language Requirement English Due to the nature of our volunteer placements, it is possible that the responsibilities of this role may differ in reality and therefore the postholder will need to be prepared to be flexible and adapt to their environment as necessary. Adaptability A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations. Resilience The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people and ambiguity. Responsible to: Objectives will be confirmed in a three way discussion between the volunteer, employer and VSO in the first three months of the placement. Provincial Local Government Officer (PLGO) Northern Province Page 3

4 2. Personal considerations In addition to the job description, the following information should be used when considering whether a placement is suitable for you. Personal health considerations If you have a significant current or past medical condition and/or you have general concerns about staying healthy as a volunteer, please use this information to assess whether this placement will be suitable for you. All volunteers require medical clearance from a VSO medical adviser before they are able to take up a placement with VSO. Occasionally, VSO may consider that this placement is too great a risk for you in terms of your personal health and you would be advised to consider a different placement. For further guidance about medical assessment and volunteering with a medical condition please see the frequently asked questions on VSO website. Access to medical care and support The standard and quality of local medical care and support available at this placement will depend on its location within the country. Health facilities are likely to be more poorly resourced in rural areas in terms of medical expertise, equipment, infrastructure and regular supplies of medication. However, this may not be the case in the capital city or in a larger town, where in some countries there may be a reasonable standard of medical care. The following gives you an indication of where the placement is in relation to the country office and how easy it would be to make the journey if you were ill. This placement is: Kasama, the provincial capital of Northern Province in Zambia, is a relatively large town with medical infrastructure and supplies available at the hospital and clinics. In case of a critical illness, a volunteer can be evacuated to Lusaka for further medical attention. The placement will be required to travel to rural districts within the province which may only have clinics Kasama is located about 860 kms from the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka It takes approximately 12 hrs to travel on good road to Kasama or approximately 3 hours by plane There are usually two (2) flights per week from here to the capital (Mondays and Tuesdays): flights may be affected by bad weather. If you wish to discuss your personal circumstances or health concerns in confidence with VSO s medical team before you apply for this placement please contact medical@vsoint.org. Accompanying partner or family: If you have a partner or children who are planning to accompany you to your placement, please use this section to assess whether this placement will be suitable for you. Kasama is relatively a bigger town as compared to other towns in Zambia. It has one well stocked supermarket among other medium and smaller shops. There is a hospital but limited private health providers and limited international level school facilities. There are no restrictions with regards to marital status. Motorcycle requirements Not a requirement Page 4

5 Security information Generally, walking around Zambian towns is safe although one needs to take the usual precautions, especially after dark. In general, apartments and hotels are fitted with burglar bars on windows 3. Background and contextual information ZCSD The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), through its public sector reform programme and the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), recognizes the link between governance and development outcomes. The government recently declared that Good governance remains the cornerstone for prudent management of public affairs and ensuring that development outcomes benefit the people of Zambia. The Ministry of Local Government and Housing is at the forefront of good governance efforts by the GRZ, given its responsibility for the promotion of a decentralized and democratic local government system and the effective delivery of quality housing, infrastructure and other social services by local authorities and other stakeholders. The efforts to ensure good governance are firmly entrenched in the process of the decentralization of service delivery structures and the devolution of key line ministries to local authority level. The GRZ has been engaged in this decentralization process since 2004 and the Decentralization Implementation Plan (DIP) was approved in 2007 to help improve the responsiveness of the GRZ to communities by bringing decision-making power closer to the people. Provincial and Local Authorities are already piloting decentralized, participatory development planning, and the GRZ is keen to move ahead with the overall roll-out of the decentralization process. VSO Zambia, in consultation with the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, has developed this concept document outlining a three-year programme to strengthen capacity of the Ministry. The aim of this is to effectively support improved coordination and supervision at the provincial level, and improved implementation capacity of local authorities to deliver quality services effectively and efficiently as the devolution process evolves. Through a consultative process with senior officials within the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH), and key cooperating partners working in the governance sector, capacity gaps in human resource and oversight functions in the Provincial offices were identified. These gaps have resulted in Provincial Offices experiencing challenges in carrying out their mandate and functions effectively. To address this, it was agreed to place skilled volunteers in different areas where expertise are needed at central (ministry) and Provincial Offices. Further information on VSO s work in each of the countries we work in can be found on the VSO website. Page 5