Bangladesh: Cultural Mediator

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders (BSF) is an international NGO founded in 2007 which works to strengthen the autonomy and resilience of vulnerable populations by providing access to information and education and promoting cultural diversity. In the Middle-East, in Central and Eastern Africa, in Europe, or in Colombia, BSF works to put in place safe spaces and services for education, professional training, psychological support and social cohesion for vulnerable populations. To provide these services, BSF created the Ideas Box with support from the Alexander Soros Foundation. Ideas Boxes are multimedia centers in a kit, fully equipped with materials, that can be installed in less than 20 minutes. They provide access to a library, a cinema, thousands of educational and informational resources, and an internet connection. The resources are carefully chosen to match the needs, language, and culture of the local users. The technological equipment and teaching methods offered by the Ideas Box transform places like schools, libraries, and community centers to comprehensive resource- and learning-centers.

For more information, see www.bibliosansfrontieres.org (French), or www.librarieswithoutborders.org (English).

Context

For more than 30 years, Bangladesh has been one of the theaters of the Rohingya crisis. For decades, the Muslim minority has faced repression and discrimination in their home country, Myanmar, particularly in the northern state of Rakhine. Many of these people looked for refuge in neighboring Bangladesh, in the Cox’s Bazar region. Since the events of August 25, 2017, more than 671,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh. By March 2018, there were more than 880,000 refugees in the country. The sudden increase in the number of Rohingya arriving stretched the capacities of humanitarian organizations working in Bangladesh. The new arrivals are living in refugee camps but also in overpopulated makeshift camps, in schools, community centers, religious establishments, or with local families. New colonies have also been put in place and continue to develop. Because of the Rohingya crisis, there is an immediate need for cross-sectoral assistance. The difficulties for these newly displaced people include the loss of food and nutritional security, gender and protection issues, and the need for water and sanitation facilities, housing, health facilities, psychosocial support, and family services. Evaluation reports show a significant need for access to accurate information to prevent risks related to rumors and unreliable information; access to basic literacy and to a quality education, especially for girls and women; and access to safe spaces for traditional PSS programs.

After studying needs in the Cox’s Bazar district, BSF is beginning a mission and launching activities around themes linked to education and training, access to information, and protection for the communities in the region.

In doing so, BSF is looking to hire a Cultural Mediator

POSITION OBJECTIVES

Define and create activities, training sessions, and a pedagogy designed to achieve BSF’s project objectives.

POSITION PROFILE

Functional and Hierarchical Relationships:

The Cultural Mediator is under the direct authority of the Mission Chief. He/she is under the functional authority of the Director of Education and Content. He/she supervises and supports a Cultural Mediation Assistant (local contract)

His/her duties will be:

1) Cultural Mediation

• Support Ideas Box facilitators in the cultural programming centered around the box, and in the creation/implementation of activities discussions that follow them, as well as attracting users for the Ideas Box.

• Develop the resources and content necessary to support facilitators (activity guides, methodological guides, etc.)

• Capitalize on activities developed with the Ideas Box

• Participate in the mobilization of local partners for the creation of content, cultural mediation, and usage of the Ideas Box (events, activities, etc.)

• Monitor content and activities, responding to the needs of Ideas Box users.

• Collect, synthesize, and share with the Director of Education and Content feedback from users and facilitators on content, activities, and equipment in the Ideas Box

2)Training

• Prepare and lead initial and supplementary training sessions for Ideas Box facilitators, relating to using its tools, cultural mediation and programming, attracting users, and managing the project

• Evaluate and make use of initial and supplementary training sessions

• Develop the resources and content necessary to train Ideas Box facilitators (in-person and online modules, guides, etc.)

• Support, throughout the entire project, Ideas Box facilitators as they put in place activities adapted to user needs

• Develop, manage, and train a pool of local trainers to educate facilitators in Bangladesh, if necessary

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

Education and experience

• University diploma, preferably in mediation, educational science, or a related field

• At least one year in a related field, preferably in mediation or education

• Experience in training and sharing knowledge with adults

• Interest in selecting content, and innovative technologies that support access to information, culture, and education

• Able to effectively use digital applications and the internet

• Previous professional experience in the region preferred

• Mastery of English and French is required

Qualities

• Good stress management

• Thorough, organized, and reliable

• Sense of responsibility

• Able to work autonomously

• Dynamic, capable of making good suggestions

• Capable of adapting, managing priorities, and acting pragmatically

• Persuasive

• Interpersonal and communication skills, team spirit

• Integrity, honesty

• Interest for digital education and new technologies is greatly appreciated

Conditions of Hiring

· Status: Renewable, 6-month fixed contract

· Beginning: ASAP

· Location: based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

· Salary and benefits: daily allowance, salary based on experience and BSF salary scale, insurance, lodging in Guest House, unaccompanied post

https://bibliosansfrontieres.secure.force.com/Offres/saisieCandidat?offre=a0e5800000IA8wHAAT

Documents to Send: CV and cover letter (Subject: RH/BANG/MedCult)

Three references with their contact information