Each year, Africans who participate in Tostan’s programs catalyze social transformation and spearhead grassroots development efforts in their communities.   Project Assistant Volunteers (PAVs) work directly with Tostan staff and Regional Volunteers to maintain specific projects that in turn support programming in numerous African communities.   PAVs are assigned projects depending on the breadth of the projects, current workload, and other factors.  Project Assistant Volunteers’ (PAVs’) first-hand depictions of program participants’ stories are not only important to Tostan’s fundraising efforts, but more importantly as a means to share with others around the world that sustainable, positive change is happening right now.

Primary PAV Responsibilities Include:

1. Communicate with the staff and Regional Volunteer (RV) in the region in which the projects are being implemented in order to define roles and responsibilities and to collaborate to further Tostan’s mission.
2. Portray villages participating in project/s through written descriptions, photography, and video
3. Support staff to submit quality, timely reports

• Assist staff to communicate with donors to determine formatting for and type of information to include in reports
• Assist staff to document donor needs for future use
• Translate and expand upon quarterly and annual reports (Francophone countries)
• Review grant proposals and collect information from staff in the field in order to write quarterly and annual reports (Anglophone countries)
• Instruct staff how to post final reports to Tostan’s server in Thiès
• Assist staff and regional volunteer to create and maintain an electronic database of all regional project reports, portraits, public declarations, etc.
• Provide staff access to, instruct staff in use of, and assist staff with maintenance of Tostan project database posted on Google Documents
• Help create sustainable systems through which staff submit reports before deadlines

4. Build staff capacity by explaining to staff changes made to reports
5. Help to align volunteer resources with organizational needs by encouraging staff involved in project implementation to use Volunteer Request Form

Secondary PAV Responsibilities Include Supporting Regional Volunteers to:

1. Assist staff to professionally present Tostan’s work in the region and maintain a historical overview.

• Collaborate with regional staff to gather regional statistics (from government statistics, UNICEF studies, etc) and create promotional materials including brochures, maps, power point presentation, bulletin boards, etc. (i.e. Tambacounda at a glance)
• Support regional staff to generate monthly activities reports for national coordinators
• Work with staff to create/update office history document
• Help regional team to develop a media relations strategy and manage key media contacts at the regional level (radio, local news bureaus, etc).

2. Build staff capacity

• Demonstrate use of self-guided training materials such as instructional English DVD
• Demonstrate completion of other tasks to personnel
• Train staff in use basic functions of Microsoft Word and Excel

3. Improve public relations and increase opportunities for collaboration with regional NGOs, government officials, health administrators, etc. by means of direct communications, radio broadcasts, etc.
4. Improve organization-wide communication:

• Add contact information for Tostan’s regional coordinators and informational secretaries to Tostan’s all-staff contact list posted on Google DocumentsUpdate existing contact information on list
• Train regional informational secretaries how to maintain list
• Train regional staff in the basic functions of Skype, e-mail, Google Documents, Google Groups, and Tostan’s server in Thiès
• Train regional personnel who receive Tostan.org e-mail addresses how to transfer their contacts from their old e-mail accounts and use the new account

Trainings provided: Basic skills in national language skills, Use of Tostan’s server, Facilitation of computer and other instructional trainings

Qualifications:

• Bilingual French/English
• Strong writing skills
• Knowledge of G-mail, Google Groups, Google Documents, Google Calendars, Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Internet and computer programs
• Ability to work independently and flexibly in a fast-paced multicultural work environment

Benefits:

• Housing adjacent to or within office
• Lunch Monday-Friday
• Travel expenses for work-related trips
• Internet access in office during reasonable hours of the day and night
• Hands on experience with an internationally recognized NGO
• Opportunity to develop highly sought-after skills in project management, training, and written and oral communication in a multicultural, multilingual environment
• Development of Curriculum Vitae