Mineke Foundation works in Liberia. Our goal is to help people - especially young people and women - to become economically self-reliant. We focus on education and entrepreneurship. We have three ...
Substantive support Tailoring social enterprise in Liberia
Practical details
Volunteering • Organisation role
Contact person
Tonia Dabwe
Provided
Requirements
#43867
Scan me or visit www.volunteer.deedmob.com/o/mineke-foundation/opportunities/Substantive-support-Tailoring-social-enterprise-in-Liberia/43867 to join
We are looking for a hands-on volunteer with practical substantive knowledge to help develop our Sewing Workshop in Liberia.
Mineke Foundation is starting 2 - 3 social enterprises in Liberia this year: a Tailoring & Fashion House, a Pastry Shop and probably a small-scale soap production. The social enterprises originated in part from the professional & business training courses that we offered between 2015 - 2020.
With the social enterprises we offer training on the job (vocational training), internships and jobs. We also want to show that it is possible to make high quality products for the local market. Both for the lower end of the market and the higher segments. This requires good substantive knowledge.
However, the knowledge of our local team is limited; their ideas and ambitions are not. Therefore, there is close cooperation between our volunteers and our local team.
What makes our work extra challenging is that not everything is available in Liberia (or only at high prices). The country imports a lot of what it uses. This requires creative solutions.
We are looking for a volunteer who acts as a sparring partner for our team in Liberia. Specifically, it concerns:
- Transfer of substantive knowledge to our team, including good professional knowledge and knowledge of quality improvement & safety, efficient production, stock management, modern production techniques applicable in a traditional environment and product development
- Advising and sparring with our local team on questions, ideas and challenges that arise during the implementation
- All this within the constraints of local resources and the educational level of management & students in the company
Time commitment
12-16 hours a month
Requirements
- Practical expertise of producing and repairing handmade clothing on a small scale
- You are fluent in English
- You are able to explain things at MBO level and you have to take into account that you have to explain often and a lot
- You think in terms of possibilities and you cannot be confused
- You enjoy working with a small organization and budget
- You can empathize with / have experience with situations where the (production) resources are very limited
- An advantage is experience with (working in) African or other non-Western countries
Related to
About Mineke Foundation
Mineke Foundation works in Liberia. Our goal is to help people - especially young people and women - to become economically self-reliant. We focus on education and entrepreneurship. We have three projects:
== The Damiefa School offers affordable private education from kindergarten through the first three years of high school. We use the national Liberian curriculum, supplemented with an Art Education program developed by Dutch/American teachers and a Reading Comprehension program specifically developed for Liberia by American teachers. Our ambition is to grow the school into a full-fledged high school.
== Our Women’s Club offers an entrepreneurship program and a social education program. The entrepreneurship program includes short vocational courses, business training & coaching, and microloans. The educational program offers monthly workshops on topics such as (reproductive) health, women’s rights, leadership and sexual violence against women. There is also a savings club with peer-to-peer lending.
== The Resource Center is a multifunctional space with a small library/computer room where employability training for young people is also given. Before Covid, we also offered digital skills training to surrounding schools and (young) adults in the area. We will offer this again in due course.
Check our Facebook page for recent updates: www.facebook.com/MinekeFoundation
Mineke Foundation is an award-winning foundation known for its quality and professionalism. We are an accredited local Liberian NGO, vocational school and private school. A small, committed and motivated local team carries out our projects in Liberia.
The Dutch foundation consists of international volunteers and supports our team in Liberia, including fundraising, social media & communication and knowledge transfer. Both teams work closely together.
Our fun and enthusiastic volunteers will make you feel at home quickly! We all work from home and have regular Zoom calls, also with our team in Liberia. Volunteers living in the Netherlands usually meet twice a year. Good to know: we speak both Dutch and English, but usually speak English during calls & meetings.
Mineke Foundation was founded in 2009 by Tonia Dabwe to build on the work her parents started in Liberia in the late 1960s. The foundation is named after Tonia's Dutch mother who has been missing since the civil war in Liberia.
The organiser has marked this opportunity as filled. Applications are closed. You can find other volunteering opportunities here.
