Location: Mangua, Nicaragua
Start Date Feb - Apr 2018 (flexible)
Length of Placement: 12 Months
Language Requirements: Spanish
Open to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only
The Volunteer’s Role
Our Partner Federacion de Mujeres Productoras del Campo (FEMUPROCAM) is an organization of women farmers and entrepreneurs who work to develop women´s leadership at the local and national level, promoting actions that benefit women in rural areas. Their strategy targets organization, training and empowerment of women towards economic growth, production and entrepreneurship, with a gender and development, cooperatives and environmental approach.
Cuso International Nicaragua is looking for a volunteer to help Femuprocam to develop a market price observatory for red beans in order to provide accurate marketing decision making information to improve women´s income. As a volunteer with Femuprocam, you will contribute to very interesting economic initiatives, including some work on a road market where they sell their produce, and sell services. Your knowledge of markets, small businesses and marketing will support women entrepreneurs in stabilizing their income, to improve their lives and the ones of their families.
Femuprocam is located in Managua, but your work will have to be part-time at the Managua office and part-time in field in rural areas. Femuprocam has offices in rural areas and to establish and train the market monitoring network, you will have to visit them.
As a volunteer, you will:
- Organize a price and market monitoring network among Femuprocam members in different geographical areas.
- Design a price and market data collecting and processing system that can be friendly to Femuprocan members, and allows affective and updated data availability.
- Train Femoprocam members in how to implement the system and take better marketing decisions.
Essential Academic Qualifications:
- Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Agribusiness, International Development or other relevant combination of experience and studies.
Essential Professional Background:
- 3 to 5 years of experience in agricultural marketing/business management.
- Experience in collection and processing of market intelligence data.
- Experience in value chain analysis.
- Market analysis handling.
- Knowledge-transferring capabilities.
- Sensitivity towards gender and generational equality.
- Experience working with low-income beneficiaries.
- Basic knowledge of computer software.
Support Package
- Modest monthly living allowance (varies depending country)
- Accommodation while in placement
- Return airfare and visa/work permit costs
- Cost of required vaccinations, antimalarial medication and health insurance
- Pre-departure training and in-country orientation
- Travel and accommodation for reintegration debriefing weekend
- Modest support for accompanying partners and dependents going on placement with you for 12 months or longer (Return flight, emergency medical insurance, vaccinations)
- Access to Employee Assistance Program while in placement and upon return
- Cuso International assessment day (Candidates must cover the first $200 of the most cost-effective travel expenses and all accommodation costs).
- Travel and accommodation for the five-day pre-departure training course and for in-country orientation
