Community Education Officer – Kampala – Xavier Project

About US:
Xavier Project is an international NGO working Kenya and Uganda. We aim to provide opportunities to refugees living in urban areas in Kenya and Uganda who are otherwise excluded from the means to live a fulfilled and dignified existence so that they will be able to take back control of their lives and make a positive change whether to their new communities or to their country of origin. Xavier Project is registered as a local NGO in Uganda, an international NGO in Kenya and a company and charity in UK. All operations are in Kenya and Uganda, but a majority of funds are raised in UK. We have a three way partnership agreement between the branches of Xavier Project and one executive team primarily based in the Xavier Project headquarters in Nairobi.

Job Background:
Urban refugees in East Africa face unique challenges. Culturally, it is difficult to assimilate into their new communities as they can be victims of xenophobia and can struggle from language differences. They cannot easily find jobs in a saturated and often nepotistic job market. There are administrative barriers to economic sustainability such as the challenge of obtaining work permits, and the rejection of foreign qualifications from employers and institutions. At present many refugees in Nairobi or Kampala do not have access to quality, relevant education delivered in a safe environment and their opportunities in education lag behind those of their local counterparts. In both Kampala and Nairobi there are over 10,000 refugee children who are not in formal education, amounting to around 50% in Nairobi and 65% in Kampala. 80% of those in formal education are not happy with the quality of the education they are receiving.

Job Summary: The Community Education Officer will support the Xavier Project in the Education department. The Education department is made up of our Sponsorship Programme, Children’s Library and our Mobile Library where we visit local schools and read storybooks with primary students. The Community Education Officer will be directly managed by the Education Director.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:
· The job holder will manage and monitor Mobile Library
· Allocate and monitor budgets
· Run basic literacy classes with our library users
· Support the librarian in Xavier Project’s library
· Actively engage with the local community and identify gaps in our programmes as well as effective methods to promote education
· Support other members of Xavier Project staff when needed

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
· The applicant should preferably have qualifications and experience in teaching English literacy
· Excellent communication skills in English (both written and oral)
· Fluent in French, Kiswahili and Luganda (Lingala is also desired)
· Computer literacy i.e. working knowledge of MS Word and MS Excel
· Ability to work sensitively with refugee population
· Excellent organisational skills

How to Apply:
All applicants are encouraged to send their updated CVs and cover letters highlighting their suitability for the job to Kate Frewer at jobs@xavierproject.org with the email subject ‘Community Education Officer, Uganda’. Please also include the names and contact details of two referees.

Deadline: 2nd December 2015