Vacancy Notice

[Mats Lundström <Mats.Lundstrom at Life-Peace.org>]

VACANCY NOTICE (with apologies for any cross-postings)

Any questions on the matter should be directed to the contact persons
below.

Experienced Impact Assessment Consultant needed to evaluate local peace
building project in Osijek, Eastern Croatia


Position: Experienced Impact Assessment Consultant

Type of Appointment: Fixed  term; summer 2000, 2 months, full time

Programme: Building a Democratic Society Based on a Culture of Nonviolence:
Post-war Peace Building in Eastern Croatia.

Project: Peace Teams Learning Project

Duty Station: Osijek, Croatia

Date of Entry on Duty: Immediately

Vacancy  Notice issued: 17 May 2000

Deadline for Applications: 30 May 2000

The Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights  in Osijek is
looking for  a consultant for  an external evaluation of  its Lessons
learned project.


Description of the project :
The project is an effort to build a democratic and just society in a
conflictive post-war setting through locally based peace teams. Various
strategically chosen approaches to empower the communities are being
used by the peace teams in five localities, and the assessment will
focus on the strength and weaknesses of the peace team approach and the
lessons learnt about locally based peace building processes.


Description of the tasks

In close collaboration with a prearranged project group headed by a
project champion, the consultant is required to fulfill the following
tasks:

- Responsible for strategic oversight of overall plan

- Coordinate various qualitative and quantitative processes of research

- Ability to implement focus groups research strategy or work closely with
focus groups specialist

- Analyse gathered data and write report

- Obligated to attend and participate in whole systems event related to
report

- Maintain communication with project group





Qualifications required:

- Experience in setting up, managing and implementing Impact Assessment
evaluations

- Experience in participatory evaluation with stress on empowerment
processes

- Good analytical and organisational skills coupled with "doer" capacity

- Good oral and written communication skills in English

- Knowledge of Croatian language would be an asset.

- Ability to work with professionals in a multicultural team

- Ability to work under short  deadlines and time constraints

- Be able to be located in the region during intensive workperiods

- Facilitative style of leadership

- Ability to work within fixed budget





Alternative approaches to above job description:



The Center is open to alternative configurations of responsibility:

1. An Expert Impact Assessment Consultant who does both the
evaluation and the focus group work.

2. The work is divided between an Impact Assessment Consultant
with responsibility for the overall impact assessment while working in
close collaboration with a focus group specialist who is fluent in
Croatian .

The latter alternative will require less time in the region for the
Impact Assessment Consultant.


Renumeration package

Please submit tender at NGO/Charity rates.


If you are interested in this position, please send  your  application,
C.V., 2 references preferably by e-mail to:

Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights
Att. Michelle Kurtz
U. Zupaniska 8
HR- 31000 Osijek
email: michlkurtz at aol.com
http://www.zamir.net/~czmos


For questions please call Dr Katarina Kruhonja, Project Leader
Tel/fax. +385(0) 31 206 886
+385(0) 31 206 889
e-mail: pteams at zamir.net

  or

Michelle Kurtz, Project Organizer
tel +385(0) 31 506 420
e-mail: michlkurtz at aol.com



Background
Building a Democratic Society Based on the Culture of Non-violence -
Post-war Peace-building in Eastern Croatia

The goal of the project Building a Democratic Society Based on the
Culture of Non-violence - Post-war Peacebuilding in Eastern Croatia is
transformation of the war-torn, post-socialist society in Eastern
Croatia towards sustainable peace, common security and democracy based
on citizen participation, pluralism, human and minority rights, social
justice and sustainable development. A network of trained multi-ethnic,
multi-national, multi-religious (Croats, Serbs, internationals)
development peacebuilding teams (DPT) has been established in 5
multiethnic communities (Okucani, Tenja, Dalj, Beli Manastir and
Vukovar) to support and empower the local population for the
reconstruction of society and peacebuilding in the early post-war and
post-UN period (2-5 years).

Local members of DPTs were recruited from both ethnic groups, among
those who experienced war on different sides, some of them even being
former soldiers. Together with international volunteers they
participated in a ten-week training course - 'Empowerment for Peace
Services'. During the training the following main goals were achieved:
the future peace workers agreed upon common values and beliefs they will
stand for, basic training on active listening, facilitation,
organisational skills and planning. Teams formed during the training
agreed on the organisational structure of teamwork. They also had first
contacts with the local community and developed a plan for the first
three months of fieldwork.

DPTs started their work in the field in five locations on 1 February
1999. In each location there are 3 local peace workers (mixed ethnic
background of members and a balanced relation of gender and age) and one
international. Each DPT is supported by a lawyer providing legal aid to
the local population. Coordinating staff includes a project leader, DPTs
coordinator, listening programme coordinator, project assistant and
psychologist.

First of all, DPTs, due to their mixed ethnic composition, serve as a
living testimony that Croats and Serbs can work together for peace and
reconciliation. The first step of the direct community work is the
Listening programme. Based on the results of the Listening programme,
that is, on needs, interests and resources of local community,
particular follow-up programmes have been developed for each community.
These include capacity and community building courses, adult education
and psychosocial development, empowerment of local people for solving
problems, organizing small joint solidarity projects, self-support
groups for women and youth, organizing ecumenical dialogue and education
for elections. Activities are organized across ethnic borders.

Due to high tensions in places affected by war atrocities, the very
first contacts across ethnic divide were established through conducting
the Listening program.

The basic principle of the Listening programme is active non-violence,
seeking to approach people and confront problems in the spirit of trust
and truth. The basic method includes structured interviews conducted by
trained listeners. The interviews consist of a set of questions designed
to provide space for people to openly talk about war trauma, their
current problems and needs; to treat individuals as a part of a solution
and to detect individuals willing to engage themselves in solving
problems. This represents a basis for very basic action-research
approach to peace and community-building activities.

By November 1999, around 870 interviews have been conducted in 7
locations in Eastern Croatia (Bilje, Beli Manastir, Tenja, Dalj,
Vukovar, Okucani, Berak).  The Listening programme has proved an
efficient tool for opening communication, reducing tension and
supporting people in co-operation based on common needs. In each
community, several follow-up community building activities have been
developed: joint actions of cleaning the environment, reactivation of
the local chess club with mixed ethnic structure of members, foundation
of a mountaineering club with mixed ethnic structure of members;
empowerment and activation of the Roma Association; foundation of
several women and youth support groups; organizing 'Days of Peace
Culture' in each location; inter-confessional round tables and
ecumenical prayers for peace; cooperation with schools on education for
peace; recruiting volunteers for monitoring of the elections.

From February to November 1999 the activities organized by DPTs involved
around 3700 direct beneficiaries (among them around 50 medium level
leaders). As a result of a very good media coverage, around 200 000
inhabitants of the Eastern Croatia were reached, as well as the national
TV audience.

Internal evaluation has been performed each month on a regular basis and
takes into account two most important strategic goals:

- empowerment of local population for community and peace
building;

- functioning of DPTs as multiethnic and international
self-facilitating working team.



Internal evaluation of ten-month fieldwork of DPTs indicates that:

- DPTs are very well integrated in all levels of community from the
grassroots level upwards and they have become a visible peace structure
with recognizable mission in local communities;

- The work of the DPT is recognized outside the local communities in
which they work  - they are invited to work in other places in the
region with high tensions;

-empowerment of local population is manifested through initiatives
coming from citizens regardless of their ethnic background, through
their involvement in activities and foundation of several citizens'
organizations;

- DPTs need to be continuously empowered for their work (ongoing
education; debriefing and burn out control; networking with experts for
different fields of work; personal development);

- the role of international volunteers should be profoundly evaluated
and redefined.



Evaluation of curricula for training and effects of DPTs' work in local
communities with external researcher is in progress.