Location: HQ of Chair of Hunger Alliance (currently Action Against Hunger UK – London Office)
Report to: Chair of the Hunger Alliance (currently ACF Senior Policy and Research Advisor)
Period: 3 days a week for 4-6 months, volunteer position (travel and lunch will be reimbursed)
Start date: Feb 2014
Background
The Hunger Alliance is a joint NGO-DFID coalition, concerned with tackling hunger -including food insecurity and under-nutrition. The Alliance aims to promote predictable, long term responses to hunger on behalf of national and international actors. This includes: learning and information sharing around multi-faceted interventions to address hunger reduction, including livelihood support to vulnerable groups such as women, smallholder farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists; safety nets and social protection; and nutrition interventions.
We are comprised of policy and technical representatives from DFID and 11 leading International NGOs in the areas of food security and emergency response. We share information and comment on international processes related to food and nutrition security. Our current membership of NGOs comprises of: Action Against Hunger (ACF), ActionAid, British Red Cross, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Mercy Corps, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision.
The Terms of Reference (TORs) of the Hunger Alliance are attached to provide more information.
Overview of the position
We require an intern who will provide support to the whole of the Hunger Alliance – which includes the core team of representatives, as well as media, communications and advocacy teams from each of the Hunger Alliance member organisations as required.
The intern is expected to interact and establish working relationships with all the members of the alliance. You will be directly managed and assigned tasks by the current chair of the Hunger Alliance (ACF from 1 October 2013), other members may also assign you tasks, on the agreement of the Chair. The Intern will primarily be supporting the successful development of a major piece of research on behalf of the Hunger Alliance. You will also be responsible for managing administration tasks and relevant tasks on an ad hoc basis.
This will be a part-time unpaid internship position, providing exposure to both DFID and some of the leading international development NGOs in the UK’s foremost advocacy consortium on food and nutrition security. This will give an insight into the UK’s policy and advocacy arena in international development and INGO engagement both with UK parliamentary and ministerial (DFID) processes.
We will reimburse actual travel costs to and from your home (within the Greater London area / up to Zone6) to the Action Against Hunger offices (Greenwich) and provide an allowance of £3 per day for lunch. Volunteer opportunities are not a prelude to paid employment with any of our organisations.
Key tasks
The role focuses on two main areas of work – 1) the support the development of the next Hunger Alliance major multi-NGO annual research project and 2) supporting the chair (ACF UK) in ongoing matters of the Hunger Alliance consortium.
1. Hunger Alliance Research: Facilitate, with support of the Chair, smooth communication between all Hunger Alliance members and research candidates to ensure inclusive drafting and a mutual agreed vision for a ToR. This involves dissemination of discussions points and decisions, the administration and contracting and launch of the research project. Areas of activity include but are not limited to: supporting the successful formulation, administration, and production of the research. More specifically:
· Support the Hunger Alliance Chair to agree on a joint research area, finalise and validate with all members the TORs and commission the research accordingly.
· Arrange all research related updates and meetings, including taking and circulating minutes and updating members on process and timelines.
· Liaise and communicate with the research consultant/s and his/her team/s and be the main facilitator of the Alliance’s relationship with the consultant.
· Edit, summarise and proof-read research documents when required.
· Keep all Hunger Alliance members updated with this process and help ensure the research schedule stays on track and that deadlines are met.
· Circulate and compile comments of draft documents from Hunger Alliance members for the researchers.
· Discuss and manage the dissemination plan of the final documents.
· In discussion with . members, arrange launch events for the research.
· Ensure steady progress throughout the research cycle and highlight decisions that need to be agreed in order to progress the work.
2. Administration for the Hunger Alliance: You will support the Chair to manage all ongoing aspects of the Hunger Alliance’s work. Activities will include but not be limited to the following:
· Liaise closely with the Chair to plan and prepare for meetings and teleconferences, including arranging agendas and logistics.
· Support the Chair and Hunger Alliance in follow-up of action points from quarterly meetings.
· Arrange the quarterly and interim meetings of the Hunger Alliance, including coordination meetings for the research
· Write, agree and disseminate meeting minutes for the Alliance within four working days of the meeting
· Identify potential policy platform (CFS-RAI, UN Year of Family Farming, WEF / Davos, the CAADP platform, African Agriculture Ministers Meeting and others) on behalf of the Hunger Alliance and suggest ways of promoting Hunger Alliance’s previous work (Small Scale, Big Impact)
· Draft briefings, consultation submissions, letters to promote previous Hunger Alliance’s recommendations.
· Assist the Hunger Alliance with technical tasks they decide to take on, eg preparing for conferences, drafting bulletins and providing feedback to consultative processes.
· Update the Chair and members with issues of interest for the Alliance, such as relevant processes, meetings etc. that the Alliance may want to be involved in.
· Respond to queries of all stakeholders in a timely manner, such as state of contractual matters, financial administration, timeline on group actions etc..
· Map, identify and support the Hunger Alliance in any on-going communications and advocacy work
· Other ad hoc work for the Hunger Alliance as required.
· Blog writing/social media use to promote the work of the Hunger Alliance.
Skills
ESSENTIAL SKILLS
· Excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written.
· Demonstrable knowledge and interest (MA currently enrolled or in progress) in at least one out the following areas food security, rural livelihoods, nutrition, anthropology or political science in the development and / or humanitarian setting
· Excellent organisational and administration skills with a good eye for detail
· Ability summaries complex issues and propose action points
· Ability and demonstrable experience of coordinating multiple stakeholders
· An interest in advocacy in international emergencies and development work
· Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office
· Conscientious, organized and a good problem-solver
· Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
· Experience and interest in research work
DESIRABLE
· Experience of organising and writing publications
· Managing and coordinating group work
· Editing experience
· Advocacy and/or communications experience
· Event management experience
Note: due to the volunteer and short term nature of this assignment only candidates presently resident in travelling distance of London will be considered.
Terms of Reference – UK Hunger Alliance
July 2013
Defining features
1. The Hunger Alliance is a joint NGO-DFID coalition, concerned with tackling hunger (including food insecurity and undernutrition) The Alliance aims to promote predictable, long term responses to hunger on the part of a range of national and international actors.
2. The original mandate of the Alliance was to bridge institutional differences between development and humanitarian responses to hunger (food insecurity and undernutrition) in contexts that have a particular vulnerability to crisis.
3. Building on the original focus, the group now also includes learning and information sharing around multi-faceted interventions to address hunger reduction, including livelihood support to vulnerable groups (such as women, smallholder farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists); safety nets and social protection and nutrition interventions.
4. The Alliance considers its fundamental joint donor-NGO composition as a particular strength. Without undermining the legitimacy of difference and constructive debate, the Alliance provides a forum for formalising agreement on specific aspects of policy, enabling parties to join forces on policy influence and programming.
Objectives
Key objectives of the group include:
§ Sharing of information on programming approaches, advocacy and political opportunities regarding hunger reduction
§ Collaborating in joint advocacy (including policy analysis, lobbying and media work) to donors, the UN and national governments to further common aims and objectives in relation to hunger reduction
§ Undertaking joint research projects around common problems or topics of relevance to knowledge generation and advocacy on hunger reduction
Key messages
The Alliance believes that chronic hunger can be reduced through the following means (including but not limited to):
§ Addressing the underlying causes of chronic poverty and hunger
§ Investing in small-scale, sustainable agriculture, livestock and livelihoods programmes aimed at marginal groups to build resilience to future crises
§ Protecting the most vulnerable through inclusive, broad-based social protection and nutrition interventions
§ Integrating preparedness for and response to periodic crisis (e.g. drought) into long term response policies and programmes
§ Providing predictable support to chronically vulnerable groups (cash and food mix as appropriate and/or other inputs such as vouchers, tools)
§ Challenging short-term and non-context specific responses of external actors (often channelled or catalysed by governments), wherever possible in association with national groups
§ Supporting the case for long-term predictable support by government and donors for providing long term and predictable support to chronically vulnerable and crisis prone population groups.
§ Addressing and mitigating against food price volatility through measures such as market regulation, market transparency and safety nets for the poorest.
§ Promoting knowledge and best practice around how programmes and policies positively influence the conceptual framework between hunger, undernutrition, food security, and poverty.
Context
The messages of the Alliance have traditionally been pertinent in contexts that are the subject of chronic hunger; that are highly prone to regular crisis with negative impact on the chronically vulnerable. Characteristics of these contexts may include:
§ Widespread chronic vulnerability/chronic hunger
§ High levels of chronic and acute undernutrition
§ Fragile natural resource base
§ Weak governance
§ Highly prone to regular crisis with negative impact on the chronically vulnerable
§ Subject of frequent emergency response
§ International humanitarian actors are strongly present
§ Very high national poverty levels (lowest on the HDI indices)
Membership and procedures
The UK Hunger Alliance comprises international relief and development organisations with a particular expertise in hunger reduction in policy and programmes. A member of the UK Department for International Development is also present in the group.
NGOs currently in the group include Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, British Red Cross, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Mercy Corps, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision.
New members can be admitted to the Hunger Alliance following a presentation that outlines the core mandate of the organisation wishing to join, and its fit with Terms of Reference for the group. The Hunger Alliance membership will vote to accept new members by unanimity.
Observers to group meetings are welcome at the discretion of members.
An elected Chairperson shall guide the group, coordinate meetings, and act as a focal person with Hunger Alliance members, including DFID, and others externally. The Chair can also represent and speak on behalf of the Alliance at external meetings. The Chairperson should sit for a period of 6 months ideally, which can be extended if necessary.
A Coordinator can help to manage projects like pieces of research and organise external seminars or roundtables to launch and discuss research.
Hunger Alliance NGO members will coordinate with the governance structure of the joint NGO campaign on hunger (2012-2013) in order to avoid duplication in lobbying and campaigning.
Communication and reporting
Communication will take place through quarterly meetings, and ad-hoc working group meetings. Minutes from meetings shall be taken for quarterly meetings and circulated by group member designated by chair (or chair). Members shall communicate by email, skype, or google group discussions.
The Hunger Alliance meets quarterly, complemented by ad hoc meetings as required. Members are expected to attend at least 2 out of the 4 quarterly meetings, to retain their participation.