Education and Young People Assistant

UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF's activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.

UNICEF Kenya in cooperation with the Government of Kenya under the current framework of the Country Programme Document 2022 -2026, and in collaboration with various implementing partners, has been supporting various flagship interventions in Education, Child protection, Social Policy , Health, Nutrition and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors with the overall aim of enhancing learning and skills for all children and adolescents, ending violence against boys, girls and women, decreasing inequity and reduction in multi-dimensional child poverty and increasing children and families’ access to safe water and basic sanitation as well as improving health outcomes for children and mothers. .

The Youth on the Move UNV programme was designed by UNICEF in collaboration with UNV to provide refugee, displaced and migrant youth between the ages of 20-32, who face learning to earning barriers, with a paid 12-months volunteer opportunity.

By 2026, it is expected that a higher proportion of children aged 0 to 18, especially girls from disadvantaged counties, informal settlements, and those affected by humanitarian crises, will have access to quality, gender-sensitive early childhood development and primary education services, with increased transition into secondary education. To achieve these goals, the education programme emphasizes three key outputs:
(1) Parents, teachers, communities, and other partners will have increased capacity and accountability to boost enrolment and retention of girls and boys in pre-primary and primary education, particularly in the ASALS and informal settlements.
(2) The education system will be better equipped to transform the delivery of quality basic education, rapidly improving learning outcomes and fostering the development of transferable skills.
(3) Children and adolescents affected by emergencies, including refugees and asylum seekers, will have equitable access to safe, secure, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities.
Kenya has continued to host refugees and asylum seekers since 1991. The country remains the fifth largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, hosting 777,354 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Kakuma camps/Kalobeyei Settlement each host 289,861 refugees and asylum seekers. Over half of this population are school-aged children. Increasing demand for education is projected over the coming years, due to the growing population of school-age children in both host and refugee communities.

UNICEF is implementing PROSPECTS 2.0, a 4-year multisectoral intervention in refugee hosting areas of Turkana and Garissa. The partnership aims to develop a new paradigm in responding to forced displacement crises through the meaningful engagement of development actors with the focus being supporting the Government of Kenya (GoK) to implement the new agenda (shift from parallel service delivery model to an inclusive/integrated model). This will include capacity, systems strengthening and institutional building support to National and County authorities This programme is underpinned by key assumptions, many of which relate to the legal and regulatory frameworks and the political will of the GoK.

The UN Volunteer will support the implementation and monitoring of PDs, conduct mapping activities as needed including for different cross-sectoral interventions within Kakuma/Kalobeyei

Under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Support efforts to enhance system strengthening at the county level, reinforcing sustainability and the inclusion of refugees in Early Childhood Education and Development (ECDE) county development plans.
• Assist in the development of age-appropriate educational and play activities.
• Participate in empowering the ECDE workforce with entrepreneurial skills, supporting adoles-cent mothers, and improving educational access.
• Support the engagement of parents, caregivers, and communities in early childhood education initiatives to strengthen their participation and support.
• Participate in supporting flexible, multiple pathways for out of school adolescents who enabling them to re-enter the formal education system.
• Assist in the strengthening of the Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) curriculum and pol-icy frameworks to enhance educational outcomes for marginalized youth.
• Contribute to facilitating basic literacy, numeracy, life skills, and other participatory learning ac-tivities in child friendly spaces.
• Support Teacher Professionals Development (TPD) initiatives for teachers and other education personnel.
• Support the delivery of comprehensive skills development training programs, ensur-ing they are needs-based and market-driven to promote employment opportunities.
• Contribute to integrated digital and media skills training, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)-related entrepreneurship, and social innovation skills building initiatives.
• Assist in organizing participatory and creative learning activities such as inter/intra school com-petitions science fairs, bootcamps, and science clubs.
• Support the promotion of environmental awareness and improvements in schools.
• Contribute to mentorship activities for in-school adolescents.