MONITORING & EVALUATIONDATABASE INTERN/VOLUNTEER 2015

Internship/Volunteer Position: Monitoring & Evaluation Database Intern/Volunteer

Duration: 4-12 months

Location:Hlotse, Lesotho, southern Africa

Timeline:Training in Canada Spring 2015
Implementation in Lesotho Summer/Fall 2015

OVERVIEW:

Help Lesotho is seeking a keen, talented databaseintern or volunteer to help implement a new program measurement and evaluation database in rural Lesotho.

Help Lesotho is mid-size international development charity that works exclusively in the country of Lesotho (southern Africa). Our programs help vulnerable children, youth and grandmothers develop resilience and strategies to move beyond the trauma they experience due to HIV/AIDS, gender inequity and poverty.

Our programs are changing lives – daily as children and youth gain knowledge and share what they learn with others. In order to effectively measure and communicate our impact, quantitative and qualitative data is collected using multiple modalities and instruments. To date we have not had a centralized database that is easy enough to harvest, aggregate and report in detail both annually and longitudinally. This project will enhance our technical capability and oversee the implementation of a new database. The intern or volunteer will work closely with program staff both at the office and in the field and in consultation with the staff in Canada to ensure the accuracy of data, staff capacity and usage of the new database. There may be opportunity to continue involvement from the Canadian side upon returning to support this new project if desired.

Help Lesotho’s partners such as UNFPA, USAID, EU, MSH, Skillshare, Canadian High Commission to southern Africa, etc. all require rigorous data management, accountability and impact evaluation. Measuring impact is a key component to gaining funds from donors of all kinds.

Help Lesotho is in the process of implementing a new Measurement & Evaluation (M&E) database to:

  • measure and report on the impact of its life-transformative programs for program improvement and accountability in a timely fashion;
  • increase overall efficiency;
  • track beneficiaries and programs so we can understand the progress and best practices;
  • allow standardized input and minimize human error;
  • improve our programs;
  • increase ability to access and maintain funding and meet donor expectations; and
  • support initiatives that will save lives, reduce HIV transmission, protect girls from sexual violence, and empower children and youth to become leaders in their communities.

PROJECT SUMMARY

One of Help Lesotho’s strategic priorities in the 2013-2016 period is to develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation database and protocol. As an international development organization, it is essential to capture time-sensitive, accurate information on projects, activities and beneficiaries and report on it. The M&E database intern/volunteer will work with Help Lesotho’s hired database developers to learn the cloud-hosted database. Training will occur in Canada to expose the intern/volunteer to Help Lesotho’s programs, objectives and reporting needs. The intern/volunteer will then travel to Lesotho for 3-12 months to manage the initial data entry, implementation and staff training on the database. The intern will be able to travel to remote and interesting location within Help Lesotho’s catchment areas of operations in Lesotho.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Degree, background and/or experience in computer software, technology, research, database development, etc.
  • Experience living in rural settings and working with disadvantaged populations;
  • Experience managing a cloud-hosted database – both front and back end;
  • Desire to teach and train people a database protocol; and
  • Experience inputting data, managing duplicate records, and building reports.

POSITIONDURATION

Theintern/volunteer will receive pre-departure training in Canada prior to a 3-12 months stay in Lesotho. The training schedule will be flexible depending on the intern/volunteer’s location and availability.

JOB ACTIVITIES

The intern/volunteer will:

  • Familiarize him/herself with Help Lesotho’s M&E requirements;
  • Correspond with Help Lesotho’s database developer consultants;
  • Gather data and enter historical data in the database;
  • Train local staff on database protocol and best-practices;
  • Assist staff as they input data from their programs;
  • Act as quality controller throughout the process;
  • Build M&E reports based on requested data; and
  • Act as a professional team member of the Lesotho office.

FUNDING

  • The intern is responsible for his/her own living expenses while in Lesotho (estimated at $500/month). The intern is encouraged to fundraise for these expenses; Help Lesotho will issue Canadian tax receipts for all donations that are processed through Help Lesotho.
  • Help Lesotho will provide one return international airfare from a major Canadian city to Lesotho.
  • Help Lesotho will provide accommodation in an apartment at Help Lesotho’s Seotlong Centre in Hlotse (includes electricity, plumbing and internet).

Please submit the completed application below, your resume and two reference contacts by email to . You will be notified of the receipt of your application. The large number of applications means that only those short listed will receive further communication. Thank you for your interest.

APPLICATION FORMONITORING & EVALUATION DATABASE INTERN/VOLUNTEER 2015

please include additional pages if necessary

Name:

Address:(Please include City, Postal Code)

Phone:

Email:

Please write as much as you can on each topic as you feel applicable.

Please describe any relevant database and M&E experience you feel is applicable to this position:

Please describe your career goals in the next:

  • 3 years
  • 5 years
  • Long term (as far as you know)

Describe previous travel experience as it relates to a developing country.

Give an example of how you have reacted under frustration when things have not gone according to plan.

Please explain why this position appeals to you.

M&E intern/volunteer 2015 1