Environmental Education Project Coordinator at a Peruvian NGO

Otra Cosa Network; Huanchaco; Presencial; PEN 35,000 - 50,000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A non-profit organization in Huanchaco, Peru, is seeking a HELP Environmental Coordinator to develop and deliver environmental education for children. Responsibilities include planning lessons, supervising volunteers, and organizing community beach clean events. Ideal candidates are individuals who enjoy working with children and have a passion for environmental issues, while improving their Spanish skills. This role is suitable for both long-term and short-term volunteers.

Servicios

Personal pick-up upon arrival

Help with accommodation organization

2 days holiday per month

Certificate of completion

Formación

• Age 18+ on arrival.
• Current background check from your home country.
• Minimum intermediate Spanish preferred.
• Practical experiences and/or knowledge in the field of Environment.
• Experience teaching or working with children desirable.

Responsabilidades

• Plan and update the HELP Environmental curriculum.
• Deliver environmental education lessons to the children at the REC.
• Organise the monthly 'Yo Cuido Mi Playa' beach clean.
• Participate in weekly REC meetings.

Conocimientos

Leadership skills

Ability to cope with active children

Flexible, responsible and open-minded personality

Descripción del empleo

The mission of our organisation is to promote education and social development in our local communities. The vision is for equal opportunities in Peru for everyone to succeed and thrive. Otra Cosa Network is a registered Peruvian non‑profit NGO (no. 11126841) and a UK Registered Charity (no. 1133680) based in Huanchaco, Trujillo on the coast of Northern Peru. Otra Cosa Network runs four of our own projects, which are all part of the Huanchaco Education and Learning Programme (HELP). HELP is dedicated to advancing the education possibilities and resources for those living in lower‑income communities in and around Huanchaco. Alongside this, we support several partner organisations in the area.

In recent decades the district of Huanchaco has expanded exponentially due to migration from the highlands and the jungle by those looking for a better standard of living or forced from their homes by natural disasters such as the El Niño phenomenon in 1997/98. Many of these migrants live in the informal settlements surrounding Huanchaco, and their daily reality is very different from many of those living just a ten minute walk away in the centre of the town. Unlike the town centre, these communities lack infrastructure – there are no paved roads, most households don’t have a sewage system, and there is limited access to running water. Furthermore, having migrated from even poorer parts of the country, parents in these areas have often had limited access to education, and poverty and social problems are rife. All of this means that children growing up in these neighbourhoods are at a disadvantage from the outset and do not have access to the same educational opportunities as their more privileged counterparts.

La misión de nuestra organización es promover la educación y el desarrollo social en las comunidades locales. Nuestra visión es la de hacer llegar a todos oportunidades equitativas para lograr éxito y desarrollo. Otra Cosa Network es una ONG sin ánimo de lucro registrada en Perú (no. 11126841) y en Reino Unido una organización benéfica (no. 1133680) establecida en Huanchaco, Trujillo, en la costa norte del Perú. Otra Cosa Network gestiona cuatro proyectos propios, que son parte del programa Huanchaco Education and Learning Programme (HELP). HELP está dedicado al desarrollo y acceso a la educación de las comunidades con bajos ingresos en Huanchaco y los barrios de chabolas de los alrededores. Además, colaboramos con multitud de organizaciones del área, así como en dos localizaciones remotas del norte del Perú.

En las últimas décadas el Distrito de Huanchaco se ha expandido exponencialmente debido a la migración de las montañas andinas y de la selva amazónica de aquellos que buscan un mayor nivel de vida, o de aquellos forzados a hacerlo por desastres naturales como el fenómeno de El Niño en 1997 y 1998. Muchos de esos migrantes que viven en los barrios de chabolas viven una realidad muy diferente a otros que viven solo a diez minutos andando del centro del pueblo. Al contrario que en el centro, estas comunidades sufren una falta de infraestructuras (no hay calles pavimentadas, la mayoría de los hogares no tienen sistema de alcantarillado y el acceso al agua corriente es limitado. Además, la migración de zonas aún más pobres del país. Los padres normalmente han tenido escaso acceso a la educación, y la pobreza y los problemas sociales son abundantes. Todo esto significa una desventaja para los niños que viven en estos barrios y no tienen acceso a las mismas oportunidades educativas que sus homólogos más privilegiados.

The HELP Environmental Coordinator is one of the four Project Coordinator Roles available at OCN. Your role as HELP Environmental Coordinator is to plan and update the OCN environment curriculum, including planning weekly environmental education classes for the children at the Recreational and Educational Centre (REC) in Cerrito de la Virgen. You will be in charge of delivering the classes, as well as briefing and leading a team of supporting volunteers. Additionally, you will organise the monthly beach clean as part of our 'Yo Cuido Mi Playa' campaign. We also encourage you to come up with your own ideas for the project (for example, previous volunteers have implemented composting and hydroponic garden projects).

As a hands‑on role, this position involves much more exposure to the Spanish language than some of our office roles, so it would be a great opportunity for Spanish‑speaking volunteers or those looking to improve their Spanish language skills.

In this role, you will work under the supervision of the REC Coordinator and Program Manager.

Running the HELP Environment project only requires a few hours a week, so, for the rest of your time, you will act as a multi‑project volunteer. This will give you the chance to work on various other projects within the OCN portfolio to top up your hours to around 25 hours/week. Potential activities include HELP English; HELP Youth; HELP Literacy; Global Glow (girls' education and empowerment); REC homework support sessions; English classes at María del Socorro primary school.

This position is a fantastic opportunity for individuals who want to work with children while also gaining an insight into the world of NGOs. Also, living in Huanchaco, a small surf town not far from the city of Trujillo, will give you the chance to immerse yourself in another culture and meet lots of new people.

For students, all volunteer positions are available as internships, which is ideal for students looking to complete a year in industry/placement abroad. In this case, you will receive an extra level of mentorship and all appropriate communication with your academic institution to ensure compliance with internship placement requirements.

Responsibilities

• Plan and update the HELP Environmental curriculum.
• Deliver environmental education lessons to the children at the REC.
• Maintain and update all material related to the Environmental program.
• Register the children's attendance and ensure that we have their emergency contact details.
• Write weekly reports and monthly reviews on the project progress and impact, to be shared with REC Coordinator and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
• Organise the monthly 'Yo Cuido Mi Playa' beach clean.
• Participate in weekly REC meetings with the other HELP Project Coordinators and REC Coordinator/Program Manager.
• Be creative in coming up with new ideas and policies to improve the program.

Requirements

• Age 18+ on arrival
• Current background check from your home country.
• Minimum intermediate Spanish preferred.
• Practical experiences and/or knowledge in the field of Environment.
• Experience of teaching or working with children desirable.
• Leadership skills.
• Ability to cope with active children.
• Flexible, responsible and open‑minded personality.
• If you want to improve your Spanish, we can arrange Spanish classes for you in advance (by Skype) or during your stay.

Time Commitment

• Placements can last from 2-12 months, giving you the flexibility to choose between spending a full year/academic year with us, just one semester, or even a summer internship. This makes our opportunities ideal for students looking to gain professional experience during a year in industry or language‑based placement abroad.
• Long‑term volunteers are preferred, so you have a chance to really get to know the community and get comfortable in your role.
• Total 25 hours per week, Mon‑Fri 5-10 hours in this lead role, in addition to 15-20 hours spent on other activities.

What You Can Expect From Us

• Personal pick‑up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Help with organising accommodation for your time in Huanchaco
• A thorough introduction to the organization
• 2 days holiday per month
• 24/7 emergency support
• Organized activities (barbeques, game nights, volunteer lunch etc.)
• Certificate of completion detailing your role, the project(s) you participated in and the dates you volunteered in.

A typical day in the role

The OCN recreational centre (REC) opens from Monday‑Wednesday and on Fridays, from 3‑5pm. Each day is designated to a different project, with HELP English taking place on a Monday. You will be expected to plan/update the curriculum and lesson plans each week, which you can do during normal office hours (9am‑5pm). Before each English class, you will meet with the REC Coordinator and a team of supporting volunteers at the OCN volunteer house to brief them on your lesson plan for the day, delegate roles, and answer any questions. You will then get a mototaxi or cycle to the REC together and you will lead the class. Although the REC is open from 3‑5, some of this time is for the kids to play and socialise, so you will not be expected to plan/lead a two‑hour lesson. You will have plenty of opportunities to play and interact with the children we help and create a bond of trust with them.

Each week, there is also a REC meeting hosted at the volunteer house by a member of our management staff, in which HELP project coordinators and volunteers discuss general issues for the REC, such as discipline and attendance, routines, maintenance etc.

Every Monday morning, you will attend a general OCN meeting at the volunteer house to discuss any relevant updates and activities for the week, contribute ideas and feedback, and plan out the activity schedule for the week.

On other 'free' weekdays, you will act as a regular multi‑project volunteer, with the opportunity to participate in a selection of other projects (as listed above). If you choose, you can select only the projects that involve teaching English, but you may wish to get involved in other projects too.

After work, there is plenty of time to catch one of Huanchaco’s world‑famous sunsets from the tranquillity of the beach, or indeed from a surfboard. Then there are various options to fill your evening, socializing with local and other volunteers, sampling the famous Peruvian cuisine, attending talks and cultural events, music, dance, theatre, movies— the list is endless.