Partner Organisation:  Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)

Title of placement:       Development & Rehabilitation of an Island’s Rural Road Network

Location:                       Indonesia

Start date:                    1st July 2009

Duration:                      3 months (Possibility of salaried role following successful completion of project)

Number of volunteers to be sent:        1  

 

A 3 month placement working closely with beneficiary communities to improve the road infrastructure across the island of Nias, helping to directly and indirectly improve the quality of life of local populations, ACTED is an international organisation with local programmes in Indonesia.

 

 

What work will I be doing?

 

The volunteers will be supervised by the project manager who will be located on site and has ten years experience of constructing roads in Indonesia. He has a team of construction supervisors who will also be helping to monitor and manage the work.

 

The main aims of the placement are to improve and progress the construction of designated sections of Nias’ road network. Responsibilities will include checking the construction quality of the roads against the standards agreed by ACTED with the donor, the community and the local government roads office.

 

The volunteer will assist with assessing existing work, suggesting and implementing improvements, and planning and monitoring construction progress. The volunteer will increase the quality control capacity of the NGO by enabling a greater reporting output.

 

The volunteer will also be work closely with ACTED’s Community Mobilisation team, which will be the main point of contact and communication with community groups. Particular emphasis is placed upon the transfer of skills and knowledge to community members (suggested topics include drainage), the training of ACTED supervising staff, and the integration of local women into the project.

 

 Who will I be working for?

 

ACTED is an independent, private and not-for-profit non-governmental organisation created in 1993. ACTED’s mission is to support vulnerable populations worldwide and to accompany them in the construction of a better future. They aim to guarantee the link between Emergency, Rehabilitation and Development, to ensure that both immediate assistance and long-term support are provided to beneficiaries to enable them to break the poverty cycle.

 

The programmes implemented by ACTED around the world aim to address the needs of populations affected by wars, natural catastrophes and/or economical and social crises. ACTED develops about 150 projects a year in activities as diversified as Emergency Relief, Food Security, Health Promotion, Economic Development, Education and Training, and Micro finance.

 

ACTED was created in Afghanistan and the organisation’s first projects were initiated in Kabul in 1993 to bring relief to populations affected by more than 15 years of conflict. The organisation has since continued to expand and today ACTED is active in 23 countries worldwide. The organisation employs approximately 150 international staff and more than 2500 national staff. The headquarters for the organisation are located in Paris.

 

What skills or experience do I need?

 

Required:

• An ability to speak Indonesian/ or a willingness to learn prior to departure
• Practically minded person
• University undergraduate or graduate
• Diplomatic approach to resolving disagreements
• Awareness of the social aspects involved in such an engineering project

Desired:

• Availability to take up opportunities with ACTED following completion of this placement
• Road design or construction experience
• Fluency in Indonesian or Malay
• Degree in Civil Engineering