Location : Kampala, Uganda, with regular missions in Nakivale Refugee Settlement

Start date : 1st January 2027

Contract term : 2 years

Eirene Suisse is a secular NGO active in development cooperation since 1963. In the countries where we are active, our goal is to strengthen and support local dynamics that promote peace and human rights. We specialize in cooperation through personnel exchanges, that is, sending qualified professionals from Switzerland to support the development projects of our local partners in our three main areas of operation: Central America (Nicaragua, El Salvador), Quisqueya (Haiti), and the African Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Uganda, DRC). These professionals have a “remunerated volunteer” status.

Local Partner

Refugee Law Project (RLP) is an organization affiliation with the Makerere University of Law based in Kampala. Since its founding in 1999, the organization has been working to protect the human rights of refugees, and those affected by conflict, regardless of the legal status, as well as the communities that host them. RLP’s mission is to promote the protection, wellbeing, and dignity of these individuals by fighting injustices in government policies, as well as through legal means and concrete action on the ground. RLP is also very active in advocacy with key stakeholders and actively participates in national and international debates on issues related to forced migration, justice, and peacebuilding. The organization also contributes to academic research on these topics.

As part of a project led by RLP and supported by Eirene Suisse, the goal is to strengthen the identification, care, documentation and recognition of male refugees that survived conflict-related sexual violences, primarily in Kampala at the Nakivale refugee camp The project combines medical support, psychosocial support, strengthening of survivor groups, community outreach, advocacy, and improvements to referral mechanisms.

Purpose of the Position

Primary Objective

To strengthen the Refugee Law Project’s capacity around ethical documentation, organizational learning, knowledge production, storytelling, and advocacy regarding the experiences of man and boys refugees who survived conflict-related sexual violence. 

Secondary Objectives

• Enhance understanding and documentation of the experiences of male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
• Support the production, analysis, and dissemination of knowledge relevant to programming, advocacy, research, and public policy.
• Strengthening collective learning and the continuous improvement of practices, in collaboration with survivors, RLP teams, field partners, and service providers.
• Contribute to awareness-raising and advocacy activities to increase understanding of the       reality of conflict-related sexual violence experienced by men and boys.

The volunteer will help transform field experiences, survivors’ stories, monitoring data, and program lessons learned into useful tools for improving practices, enhancing the quality of support, informing research, supporting advocacy, and promoting greater recognition of the specific needs of male survivors.

Activities and Responsibilities

• Support the RLP team in the ethical documentation of survivors’ experiences, ensuring strict adherence to informed consent, confidentiality, safety, dignity, and the principle of “do no harm.”
• Contribute to the conduct or methodological support of interviews, discussions, observations, community visits, and knowledge-sharing processes.
• Participate in the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to identify needs, barriers, best practices, and gaps in support mechanisms.
• Contribute to the production of case studies, survivor profiles, learning notes, best practice sheets, thematic summaries, reports, presentations, and advocacy documents.
• Support the design, documentation, production, and dissemination of survivor-centered storytelling materials, including written narratives, anonymized testimonies, audiovisual materials, documentaries, articles, web content, and awareness-raising materials, ensuring that all materials are produced according to high ethical standards and protect the identity, safety, and dignity of survivors.
• Facilitate reflection and learning sessions with RLP teams, survivors, support groups, service providers, and relevant partners to identify lessons learned, operational challenges, promising practices, and concrete recommendations for improving interventions.
• Contribute to the development of a knowledge management system or platform to preserve, organize, and leverage the lessons learned from the project for future RLP initiatives.
• Help formulate advocacy messages based on data and documented experiences, and contribute to the development of advocacy briefs, presentations, briefings, outreach materials, content for public events, articles, or communications intended for institutional, humanitarian, academic, or community partners.
• Work with Eirene Suisse to contribute to awareness-raising efforts in Switzerland or Europe regarding conflict-related sexual violence against men and boys, with a focus on solidarity, recognition of survivors, and public engagement.
• Support the relevant RLP teams through mentoring, best-practice sharing, internal training, and methodological coaching on documentation, knowledge management, analysis, content creation, sensitive communication, and evidence-based advocacy.

Your profile

• Swiss citizenship or a strong connection to Switzerland (residency, studies, work, etc.)
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field: human rights, social work, social sciences, gender studies, development studies, international relations, peace and conflict studies, humanitarian action, public policy, communication for development, qualitative research, protection, or an equivalent field.
• Additional training in humanitarian protection, gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, mental health and psychosocial support, MEAL, qualitative research, or ethical communication is an asset.
• Experience working with refugees, displaced people, survivors of violence, people affected by conflict, or those exposed to trauma is strongly preferred.
• Experience in ethical documentation, qualitative interviews, knowledge capture, report writing, case studies, policy briefs, advocacy materials, or awareness-raising content is particularly sought after.
• A good understanding of issues related to gender, masculinities, stigmatization, exclusion, trauma, and access to services in a refugee context.
• Excellent skills in analysis, writing, synthesizing, and organizing information, as well as the ability to document sensitive topics with rigor, caution, respect, and intercultural sensitivity.
•  Skills in knowledge management, developing communication materials, storytelling, advocacy, and organizational learning.
• At least two years of professional experience in the relevant field.
• Proficiency in English or a willingness to learn it, and knowledge of Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Runyankole-Rukiga, or other languages spoken in refugee communities in Uganda is a plus.
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, digital documentation tools, or data protection is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills, the ability to listen, discretion, and a strong sense of ethics.
• Ability to work in a sensitive, complex, and intercultural environment.
• Independence, team spirit, and open-mindedness.
• Adaptability, initiative, and the ability to manage stress.
• Ability to adapt to local living conditions and integrate into a people-centered project in a complex context.
• Willingness to actively contribute to the initiatives of the partner organization in the Global South.
• No criminal record at the time of departure.

Job Details

Only applications from Swiss citizens or individuals with strong ties to Switzerland (residence, years of study or work, etc.) will be considered.

Volunteer work involves receiving a living allowance instead of a salary.

Commitment to the organization is expected, particularly regarding outreach and fundraising efforts in Switzerland (including leading a support group).

Employment Conditions

• Coverage of round-trip travel expenses.
• Coverage of living expenses while on site.
• Coverage of Swiss social insurance during the assignment (AVS, unemployment, health, repatriation, etc.).
• On-site support from the regional coordinator during the assignment.
• A certificate of employment and a return-from-assignment allowance upon completion of the assignment.

To apply:

Eirene Suisse does not set a deadline for applying for this position. The recruitment process will remain open until the position is filled. However, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please email the standard application materials (cover letter, resume, and copies of diplomas/certificates) to: Olaya LAVILLA, Eirene Suisse, emploi@eirenesuisse.ch.

Given the large number of applications we receive, only candidates who strictly meet the required criteria will be contacted. Thank you for your understanding.

For more information, please visit our website www.eirenesuisse.ch

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