Mission and objectives

UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF’s activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.

Context

In Eastern and Southern Africa, where children under 18 make up almost half of the total population, UNICEF works with partners, communities and the private sector to ensure that children are at the heart of our actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We work to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through to adolescence. At the Regional Office, the selected candidate will be working as part of the Communications team. https://www.unicef.org/esa/

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of Sasha Surandran, Regional Communications Specialist, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Primary areas of work: • Write and edit articles, stories, social media posts and other external communication pieces as needed in support of humanitarian communications. • Design factsheets, content for social media and other small design projects as needed in support of humanitarian communications. • Design, edit and publish the regional quarterly advocacy and communications newsletter. • Support the humanitarian communications regional specialist and the regional social media focal point in lining social media posts for the regional office’s various platforms. • Facilitate content production and curate content to support humanitarian communications. Secondary area of work: • Support the regional communications team with other tasks and initiatives as needed. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Competencies and values

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Communication ☒ Creativity ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☒ Technological Awareness ☒ Working in Teams

Living conditions and remarks

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO). Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP. The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate. Link to the Entitlement Calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements