Ilri internship: agra value4her program (closing date: 16 august 2024)

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit an Intern on behalf of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) within the VALUE4HER program to support the initiative in Ethiopia.

ILRIs’ mission is that people’s lives in low- and middle-income countries are improved through livestock science that contributes to equitable and resilient livestock systems in order to deliver food systems transformation with climate and environmental benefits. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR Research Centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org

AGRA is a proudly African-led institution focused on scaling agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security. We understand that African farmers need uniquely African solutions to the environmental and agricultural challenges they face, enabling them to sustainably boost production and gain access to rapidly growing agricultural markets. In short, AGRA’s mission is to transform the lives of smallholder farmers from that of a solitary struggle for survival to a business that thrives. www.agra.org

AGRA, in its gender and inclusion strategy, purposes to provide support to women agri-preneurs and agribusinesses through VALUE4HER, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening women’s agribusinesses enterprises through access to high value markets and trade opportunities, access to finance, business leadership and management capabilities, digital networking, voice, and advocacy. VALUE4HER is powered by its digital platform VALUE4HERConnect, which leverages the power of digital technology to bridge systemic, structural and gender gaps in access to business resources, assets and services. This platform is designed to facilitate the delivery of integrated business solutions and services to women-owned/led agribusiness, to enable them to grow their businesses towards viable and profitable enterprises. This digital service is complemented by a series of offline programmatic activities geared towards increasing access to markets; domestic and regional, boosting advocacy and voice, and business enabling environment to be more responsive to women’s needs.

AGRA’s strategy delves deeper into an understanding of and programming for different groups of women, young (new entrants) and existing (already in agribusiness), taking care of the socio, cultural, economic and gender dynamic in their context with the aim of providing them with tailored solutions to their challenges.

Objective

The Gender, Youth, and Inclusivity (GYI) Unit intends to hire an intern to support the country team in member mobilization and data quality management of VALUE4HER members in the Connect platform. The intern will also support in collecting and screening women agripreneurs’ needs to enable AGRA to identify partners with solutions tailored to women. This intern will be engaged for 6 months and will primarily handle data quality management of existing and new VALUE4HER members as they work with country teams to mobilize new members into the platform. This position is an integral part of AGRA’s in-countries agenda of enhancing the visibility and participation of women agripreneurs in the respective national and local economies.

Key Responsibilities

Through country and HQ teams, the intern will be responsible for:

1. Member Mobilization: This will involve identifying and recruiting women agripreneurs and partners to join the VALUE4HERConnect platform. This process includes mapping potential members, engaging them through workshops, seminars, and direct outreach, and informing them about the platform’s benefits. Interns will collaborate with country and HQ teams to develop tailored communication and training material, strategies, address participation barriers, and ensure smooth onboarding.
2. Data Quality Management: The intern will ensure accurate, complete, and reliable member information on the VALUE4HERConnect platform, especially for members in their respective countries; other countries will be assigned by the VALUE4HER Lead. This will involve verifying and updating data for new and existing members (also as support to the segmentation consultancy), review and correct discrepancies, and use data management tools for efficient organization. Regular audits and quality checks will be conducted to maintain data integrity. The candidates will also generate reports to support decision-making and program improvements, ensuring tailored solutions and services for women agripreneurs.
3. Needs Assessment: The candidates will be expected to strategically engage with members and partners through surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather insights on their challenges and requirements. This data helps identify gaps in access to markets, finance, training, and resources and will help the country to design tailored solutions for their members.
4. Support Services: The candidates will support the country teams in organizing workshops, webinars, and networking events to facilitate advocacy, learning and skills development among women entrepreneurs. They will also assist in conducting research and data collection activities to assess the impact of VALUE4HER initiatives on members, support the implementation of monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and outcomes of Value4Her initiatives, analysing their quantitative and qualitative data and preparing reports from the same, amongst other support duties to be assigned by the Country Directors or VALUE4HER Lead.
5. Feedback and Success Stories: Help in analysing user data and feedback to identify opportunities for platform improvement and optimization and collecting feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of different initiatives, making recommendations for improvement. The candidates will also document assigned case studies, success stories, and lessons learnt across the various initiatives.
6. Collaboration and Reporting: Work closely with the GYI Unit and other AGRA teams to align efforts and ensure a cohesive approach to supporting women agripreneurs. Regular reporting will be expected as will be agreed upon and adhered to.

Internship requirements

1. Enrolled for an undergraduate university degree program or diploma in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Economics, Business Administration, Gender Studies, or a related field.
2. Previous experience in data management, people mobilization, or similar roles.
3. Experience working with digital platforms and familiarity with the agricultural sector is an advantage.

Skills:

• Strong organizational and data management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and data management tools.
• Understanding of gender dynamics and the socio-cultural context affecting women agripreneurs.
• Customer service orientation with the ability to respond promptly to member inquiries, provide support, and address concerns.

Attributes:

• Detail-oriented and highly organized.
• Proactive and self-motivated.
• Passionate about gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.
• Flexible and adaptable to different work environments and challenges.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and extract actionable insights.

Location: ILRI Addis Ababa – Ethiopia.

Duration: 6 months.

Terms of appointment

The internship at ILRI will offer:

• A monthly stipend to meet accommodation, transport and day to day living expenses.
• Medical insurance for the internship duration.

How to apply: All applications MUST include the following (applications not containing these documents will not be considered):

• A cover letter addressed to the Capacity Development Manager, expressing interest in the internship position and the motivation. The position title and reference number (REF: INT/ILRI/AGRA_ADD/01/2024) should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.
• CV.
• Academic qualification transcripts/ certificates.
• Letter from the admitting university confirming internship period and requirement as part of the study program.

Applications must be submitted through our portal ilri.simplicant.com on or before 16th August 2024. 

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

To find out more about ILRI visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org