Hygiene and Behavior Change Intern

INTERNSHIP TITLE: DRC (Goma) - Hygiene and Behavior Change Intern

INTERN WORKSITE LOCATION: Goma or Bukavu, DRC

DATES OF INTERNSHIP: September 2016, flexible start and end dates

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP: 4- 6 Months

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THE INTERNSHIP:

This is an unpaid internship but a modest living allowance is provided in country.

Mercy Corps responsibilities

For the duration of this internship assignment the intern will receive:

Accommodation in group Mercy Corps housing

Local Business Travel

ISOS

Local transport

Living allowance

Health Insurance (Mercy Corps will reimburse up to 100$ per month in country)

Visa fees

Intern responsibilities

Intern will remain responsible for all costs associated with:

Additional entertainment/living Costs

Flights and International Transport

Travel Insurance

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Mercy Corps is searching for an energetic, enthusiastic, and talented native French speaker intern, to join us short term (4-6 months) in DRC as part of a large scale urban water, sanitation and hygiene program targeting 1million men, women, boys, and girls in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The intern(s) will support and participate in the hygiene and behavior change component of the program.

IMAGINE is delivering an integrated behavior change approach, based on formative research, and implemented through mass media, socio-cultural channels, commercial channels, collaboration with influencing groups (including local leaders and personalities) and through a partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health (MoH) to reinforce existing community participatory and volunteer efforts, through “care groups.” This internship will focus on working with staff and partners to develop audio-visual material, theatre, radio and TV campaigns, designing posters/billboards, and building local partners' capacity in communications.

This five year DFID (UKAID) funded program, known as Integrated MAJI[1] Governance Infrastructure Initiative for Eastern Congo (IMAGINE) aims to reduce diarrheal rates in children under five. Diarrhea, malaria and respiratory infections are the leading causes of childhood mortality in children under five in DR Congo.

IMAGINE works towards:

• Improvements to Infrastructure to increase availability of basic WASH services from source to tap
• Improved market-based WASH Service Delivery to engage and incentivize market actors and create more viable, efficient and sustainable WASH markets
• Enhanced Governance and Accountability structures to ensure effective feedback loops among consumers, providers, and regulators of WASH services
• Hygiene Behavior Change interventions to improve knowledge and practice essential health practices
• Gender integration across all IMAGINE teams and activities; and Targeted gender interventions aimed at ensuring equitable access to, and control over, WASH resources

DELIVERABLES

Supporting the program team in:

• Supporting local partners and staff in the design, and production of high quality field-behavior change communications products (including visual flip charts, radio programs, theatre scripts, TV emission) that are based on the local context.
• Assisting in planning and supporting the IMAGINE staff in trainings/capacity building activities for staff, community members, volunteers, partner organizations,
• Supporting effective tracking, collecting, and filing of all documents related to project communications strategies;
• Supporting the quality assurance and analysis of activities and fostering new adapted communication products adapted to BCC plan
• Conducting local research, data collection, and on-going monitoring and data analyses to better target the communications channels and messages
• Researching emerging, cutting edge, and innovative BCC and strategic communications trends in developing countries;
• Contributing to internal and external reporting
• Helping to plan the celebration of World Hand washing Day and World Toilet Day
• Assisting in reviewing French grammar and orthography for external documents.
• Creating and sustaining a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and work towards the common goal of reducing diarrheal rates in children under five.
• Developing other deliverables as per the intern's interest/expertise/objectives and as agreed upon with the Delivery Manager.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this internship, the intern will:

• Better understand the operating context of Eastern DRC, including an understanding of the communications, media, health, water, and sanitation sectors.
• Be able to apply different formative research techniques for BCC curricula and material design.
• Have acquired knowledge in public health, hygiene and communication channels for behavior change
• Understand and be able to evaluate different approaches and techniques for behavior change programming including care groups, social marketing, and mass media to best fit the context
• Understand the operational and administrative components required for an international non-governmental organization to operate in the field context.

The intern will also have the opportunity to learn from the other IMAGINE components, including governance, gender, infrastructure, service provision and M&E and to further refine the learning objectives.

IDEAL CANDIDATE SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:

• Currently working towards or has recently completed a Master's degree in one of the following: communications studies, media studies, graphics design, journalism, marketing, performing arts, public relations, public health or health communications.
• Native French speaker is required; intermediate to fluent English is desirable, but not required.
• Previous experiences of traveling, living, or volunteering in developing countries.
• Experience or demonstrated interest in the humanitarian/development sector.
• Experience with audiovisual software programs and/or graphic design.
• Ability to respect Mercy Corps procedures, to meet deadlines, to work independently and cooperatively with team members is required.

LIVING CONDITIONS:

This position will be based in Goma or Bukavu (DRC). Accommodation will be provided within group housing. Goma and Bukavu are provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants. Living in Bukavu or Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. There are different restaurants and leisure activities available.

While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Bukavu and Goma, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There's reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

[1] MAJI means water in Swahili PI94642743 

Apply Here