VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.

About Building Learning Foundations (BLF)

The Building Learning Foundations Programme (BLF) is funded by the British People through the UK government through the British High Commission Kigali as part of it’s Learning for All programme. The programme is focused on improving learning outcomes at P1 to P5 in English and Mathematics. By improving the foundations pf pupils learning in primary, the intention is that more pupils will stay in school and be better prepared to continue to learn in higher grades, thereby increasing equitable access to primary and secondary education in Rwanda. The Programme is implemented by a consortium of organizations; Education Development Trust, British Council, and VSO in all 30 Districts of Rwanda. BLF began in July 2017 and will be implemented until September 2023.

Working at project location – In this role, you will provide on-site support in the project location and/or VSO office, (full-time unless otherwise specified) for a set period of time.

The purpose of this role is to facilitate implementation in schools and communities of improved teaching, school leadership and community engagement in the Building Learning Foundation that will result into a significant increase in children’s foundational English and numeracy outcomes and reduction of drop-out

Essential criteria (must have to be able to carry out the role successfully):

• Bachelor’s degree in Education
• Fluent English speaker with good written skills
• Relevant internship and/or work experience
• Differentiated teaching and learning experience to meet the diverse
needs of children
• Good IT skills
• VSO has zero tolerance of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable
people. We expect all our employees/volunteers to ensure we are
protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from
harm and abide by our safeguarding policy.

Desirable Criteria: (skills that could be an advantage in the role):

• A flexible and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations
Knowledge/qualifications:
• Familiar with Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and
English and mathematics in early primary grades
Experience:
• Participatory teaching with good questioning techniques
• Mentoring and training
• Data collection experience

Skills/Abilities:

• The self-confidence to work in a variety of situations and diverse
people
• Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process

Allowance

As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.

Accommodation

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Some background about VSO

Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation. In 2016/2017 alone, we worked with over 7,000 volunteers from all over the world and from all backgrounds to deliver services that had an impact on the lives of almost 2.6 million people in the 24 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on the areas of health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments, to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 30% of our people are recruited from within the country in which they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same; to build a world without poverty.

Once you’re ready to apply, click on ‘make an application’ below to complete the online form.

VSO is the world’s leading international development organisation that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. Working in 24 countries around the world, our unique role in international development is to place committed volunteers with carefully selected organisations where their skills can have the greatest impact. Our extraordinary volunteers live and work in some of the world’s poorest communities. Sharing their unique skills and experience to generate new ideas and new ways of doing things, helping the communities they work in lift themselves out of poverty. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change, that will impact generations to come. Join us and help us work towards our vision of a fair world for everyone.

The overall purpose is to technically support the implementation of inclusive learning through play by 3-6 year olds within early-childhood care and education provision.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential:
• Bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree in Early Childhood/Early Years Education
• Minimum 3-4 years’ experience of teaching early childhood education focused on inclusive learning through play for 3-6 years old children Fluent English speaker with good written skills and the ability to explain complex concepts to audiences of different levels of experience and knowledge.
• Able to produce accurate, evidence based, reflective reports, case stories with reference to qualitative and quantitative data on a quarterly basis
• Working knowledge of early childhood education learning through play for improving learning through play pedagogy for teaching early childhood education children/ kindergarten
• Extensive experience of training early childhood care and education educators on learning through play pedagogies
• Ability and experience of mentoring ECCE Educators to practically advance learning through play in indoor and outdoor environments
• Experience of training education leaders on supervision, monitoring to support ECCE
• Ability to develop professional development materials on inclusive learning through play preferably resources for remote learning and digital/app-based material
• Ability to use technology for professional development and use data to monitor progress and inform changes to approaches and support provided for professional development.
• Strong skills in facilitating peer learning amongst professionals
• Ability to identify and promote LtP approaches to meet the needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
• Able other stakeholders to increase understanding of LtP and build support and partnership between schools and parents for LtP
• Capacity to build understanding and support for LtP approaches amongst teachers, school leaders, local authorities and national government stakeholders.

Desirable
• Knowledge and/or experience of the ECCE context in Rwanda
• Experience of working in a development context like Rwanda
• Working knowledge of safeguarding concepts and processes
• Experience of working with rural isolated Communities and parents

Allowance

As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.

Accommodation

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Please note that this advert is for a role we are expecting to become available in the near future once we have secured funding for the project. If you are interested in this, or similar positions, please express your interest by clicking on the ‘make an application’ button below.