January - June 2025 (with possibility of extension)

 

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 

A. Project Description

The global campaign “Dialogue Works – Anchoring working children´s participation sustainably in societal and political processes” (2020-2024) has been initiated by the two child-rights organisations Kindernothilfe and Terre des Hommes Germany (representing Terre des Hommes International Federation, TDHIF) in October 2020. It is co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The campaign aims to open spaces for working children to participate in local to global political debates to express their individual experiences, challenges and recommendations to political stakeholders. Working children from 15 countries have been invited to join the project and to contribute through active involvement in about 30 Children’s Advisory Committees (CACs) that are supported by more than 20 local partner organisations. In addition to regular meetings in these CACs, working children are encouraged to host an annual advocacy dialogue with key stakeholders in their environment - the topic, character and audience of these actions are chosen by the children themselves. The project is based on the enormously positive outcomes of the previous campaign and research project called “It´s Time to Talk! - Children’s Views on Children’s Work” (2016-2020). In order to realise working children’s right to be heard in local to global policy dialogues, more than 1.800 working children have been consulted in 36 countries across the globe using a participatory and rights-based approach.4 Both Time to Talk! and Dialogue Works have received funding from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This funding ends in December 2024. The external evaluation of Time to Talk! As well as the midterm evaluation of Dialogue Works have shown that the project has immense positive outcomes particularly for the children and partner organisations involved.

The successful project shall be continued. A Concept Note has received positive feedback from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the full project proposal for the establishment of the “Global Network on Child Participation” (2025-2029) will now be submitted until December 2024. The planned project “Global Network on Child Participation” (working title) intends to realize the right to be heard and participation of children in vulnerable situations by engaging them in permanent local participatory structures in Zambia, Peru and India; these will in a second step be scaled up to national, regional, and global levels. The follow up project shall start in July 2025.

To ensure continuity in the interim phase between the two projects and to prepare the ground for a potential follow up project from 2025-2029, we are hiring a Global Coordinator for the Dialogue Works project from January to June 2025. This position will be extended for the course of the four-year project pending approval of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

 

B. Steering Committee 

The two child rights organisations Kindernothilfe and Terre des Hommes Deutschland e. V. constitute the Steering Committee of “Dialogue Works”, which is in charge of the implementation of the project in accordance with the rules and regulations of the donor.

Kindernothilfe e.V. was founded in Germany in 1959 to support vulnerable and marginalized children and youth to develop their full potential. Our areas of work range from community-based development projects and self-help groups to social work and street work programs, from networking and advocacy to capacity building and development education programs.

Terre des Hommes Deutschland e.V. (Germany) was founded in 1967 and has since been committed to protect children from discrimination, violence and exploitation; to provide a healthy, sustainable and empowering environment; and to support children affected or threatened by war, humanitarian crisis and natural disasters.

The work of both organisations and the work of our partners is at all times informed and guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as by the views of children themselves and those close to them. 

 

2. ROLE OF THE GLOBAL COORDINATOR

A. TASKS 

In the interim phase between the two projects, the main tasks of the global coordinator are:

• Contribute to the closure of the ongoing project (final activity report etc.) in collaboration with the Steering Committee (project coordinators based in Germany),
• Preparations for the new global programme “Global Network on Child Participation” including: reaching out to potential partner organisations, preparations of contracts for lead partners etc.
• Coordination of and regular exchange with the current partner organizations of Dialogue Works in Africa, Asia and Latin America that support the Children`s Advisory Committees,
• Ensure financial flows to project partners to ensure that the regular meetings of the Children`s Advisory Committees continue beyond the current Dialogue Works Project (2020-2024).

 

B. REQUIREMENTS

We are looking for a consultant with the following qualification and experience:

• Proven experience with network building including building sustainable dialogue structures and effective collaboration across cultures and including the participation of children and youth,
• Proven experience with participatory approaches and tools for children,
• Extensive knowledge on children`s rights and  on related topics such as one of the following: child labour, education and the right to a healthy environment, 
• Intercultural sensitivity and experiences,  
• Fluent verbal and written skills in English is required, knowledge of Spanish and German is an asset, 
• Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 
• Recent police check and readiness to adhere to organisational child safeguarding policies.

C. ETHICS & SAFEGUARDING

All applicants must apply and respect the established Child Safeguarding Policy, also assuring the anonymity of each child involved in the process.  

 

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

1. Location

The position can be fulfilled remote in close contact with the two steering organisations Kindernothilfe and Terre des Hommes based in Germany. It will ideally be linked to existing regional or national offices of these two child rights organisations. 

2. Payment & Duration

Payment will be done based on a Service Agreement specifying the detailed roles and responsibilities. For the interim phase, a contract will be signed from 1st January 2025 - 30th June 2025. An extension for the project duration of four years from July 2025 onwards is possible pending approval of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

3. Applications 

The deadline for the submission of applications is 30^th September 2024. We prefer applications in English language including supporting documents such as CVs and work samples. Interviews will be conducted in October.

Please send all documents to:

• Laura Goldschmitt, Kindernothilfe: laura.goldschmitt@remove-this.knh.de
• Antje Ruhmann, Terre des Hommes: a.ruhmann@tdh.de