The European Humanitarian Volunteer Capacity
Building Programme (EHVP) -East Africa and the Horn
INFORMATION PACK
The programme
The European Humanitarian Volunteer Programme (EHVP) is a second pilot project and will be part
funded by ECHO. The first pilot project began in September 2011 and will end in August 2012. The
European Humanitarian Volunteer Programme will directly contribute to Article 214.5 of the Lisbon
Treaty which specifically refers to the EHVP, whose objective is “to establish a framework for joint
contributions from young Europeans to the humanitarian aid operations of the Union”. The EHVP
will be implemented by Save the Children UK (SCUK), Network of Humanitarian Assistance
(NOHA) and Institut Bioforce Développement (Bioforce), all sector leaders in humanitarian training.
In the first pilot, trainees were selected mainly from European countries. In the second pilot we
have an opportunity to select nine nationals of East Africa and the Horn countries.
Humanitarian agencies based in East Africa and the Horn of Africa are invited to participate in the
programme by nominating existing national staff members onto the programme. Those nominated
will also have to demonstrate how they fill the criteria in a competitive selection process. Staff will
benefit from training against core humanitarian competencies and receive a field placement
opportunity to enhance practical experience and support capacity building activities. The training of
national staff will ensure the sustained impact of this action through increasing their ability to add
value and build the resilience of the sector as humanitarian professionals.
Target Group
Nine national staff members from East Africa and the Horn will be selected and trained against core
humanitarian competencies. Trainees with existing technical skills in addition to generalists may be
recruited. Trainees can be Programme Officers/ Logistics Officers or come from a range of technical
areas i.e. WASH, Shelter, M & E, Child Protection, Health, or Education. An important entry
requirement for applicants is the ability to improvise and take initiative in the face of unexpected
challenges. Applicants will be expected to take responsibility for their own learning and development,
as well as their own personal wellbeing throughout the programme. Applicants' ability to adapt to
difficult circumstances, motivate themselves and remain positive and productive in the face of
obstacles will greatly impact on the benefits they gain from the programme and the overall success of
the programme
In addition the selected participants should have the following:
1. Have some years of experience in the humanitarian sector (maximum 2 years)
2. The ability to improvise and take initiative in the face of unexpected challenges
3. Be able to adapt to difficult circumstances, motivate themselves and remain positive and
productive in the face of obstacles
4. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
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5. Ability to take initiative and responsibility for own learning and work
6. Be committed to professional and ethical humanitarian work practice
The training programme
The following are the different parts of the programme:
a) Induction: 4 October 2012 in Nairobi.
b) NOHA stage 1 training: 5 and 6 October 2012 in Nairobi.
c) The Humanitarian Operations Programme (HOP): This is made up of:
1. The Emergency Foundation Course (EFC): This will take place in Kenya from 7 to 12
October 2012. This is simulation-based residential training.
2. Online training: Participants will return to their home offices and then take part in
online training from 23 October 2012 to early February 2013.
3. The Advanced Field Training (AFT): This is residential training will be held from 28
February to 16 March 2013 in Kenya.
d) Field Placement: The field placement will be provided by the hosting agency. The field
placement period will vary from 6 weeks to 5.5 months starting from 17 March. The field
placements end in August 2013. Field placements should focus on emergency, disaster
risk reduction, preparedness or recovery.
Costs of the Programme
The EHVP programme will pay for:
 Coaches training: Each agency will need to nominate a coach (who will be an existing staff
member) to work with the trainee. All coaches will receive two days training on coaching skills.
 Provision of distance support for coaches; In addition to the two days training the coaches will
have distant support from the same trainer.
 The Humanitarian Operations Programme (HOP): See above
 Financial support to participants: This will mainly be to cover for food and accommodation costs
during field placements.
The hosting agency will provide the following:
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Provide a coach for the staff member; this will ideally be someone with extensive experience in
emergency and recovery programming. The coach will walk through the training programme with
the participant to discuss learning and development issues arising during the programme.
A line manager should also be identified to give the trainee someone to turn to when the coach
is unavailable.
A field placement lasting 6 weeks to 5.5 months
Security briefing before field placement.
Agreed terms of references for the staff member for the deployment in line with the programme
requirements and the agency’s capacity
Benefits to the Agency
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Building capacity of staff: Trainees can help to build capacity of staff within the country office.
Development of coaches: The programme provides a development opportunity for coaches.
Coaches are given specific coaching skills training, which link directly with other areas of
management.
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For more information please contact: Sheila Waruhiu, [email protected] or
Catherine Chege, [email protected]
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