Slovakia — Disaster Response Support Volunteer

Title: Disaster response support volunteer
Location: Habitat for Humanity International, Area office Europe and Central Asia
Term of service: 12 months (Beginning July 30, 2009)

Assignment summary
Disaster response programs are relatively new for Habitat’s Europe and Central Asia region. This volunteer role will provide the initial capacity to implement a number of foundational projects in order to create the platform for establishing and growing a program. The wider aim of the initiative is to enable strategic and innovative disaster risk reduction, preparation, mitigation and response through the development of programs aligned to HFH strategy and industry standards and best practices.

Reporting to the associate director of Operations and Disaster Response, the projects (some listed below) will focus around the following functions: program, organizational learning, resource development and communications.

Responsibilities
Disaster respone program

Create a report from secondary data for Europe and Central Asia on “hot spots” and document a rationale for HFHI-ECA staff working on disaster preparedness and risk reduction in the region.

Develop a plan to create an area office task force which will coordinate internal response activities following a disaster (in alignment with HFH’s global strategy).

Organizational learning

Document Romania's flooding project (which has been implemented for three years) to determine the methodology for how disasters were responded to. Create a manual of resources and tools to replicate the project.

Assist in preparing (and possibly delivering) a capacity-building training in Romania.

Resource development

Assist in the development of concept papers which will be used by the fundraising department to attract funding.

Research and create a document of possible funding avenues for HFHI-ECA programs and global programs, detailing their requirements and focus of the funding.

Liaise with the HFHI headquarter’s disaster response office and, when necessary, other Habitat regions to determine their disaster response project priorities, in order to share information with the ECA donor countries.

Communications

Assist in developing standard terminology and communications messaging about HFH disaster response in ECA.

Assist communications in developing disaster reponse-related material to promote the program.

Other potential project areas: Additional projects based on IVP interest, skills, experience, time contraints and organizational need. Potential project areas may include but are not limited to

Planning, monitoring and evaluating disaster response projects.

Developing regional disaster risk reduction and response strategy.

Developing (and possibly implementing) training for HFH field staff (technical and program).

Developing disaster response advocacy and policy.

Assessing area risk and needs.

Providing technical support.

Requirements
English fluency, both written and oral; strong verbal communication skills; excellent project management skills; ability to solve problems and think creatively; proficiency in Microsoft software programs (i.e., Outlook, Excel and Word) and Internet usage. Experience working in multicultural environments and related university degree or previous disaster response experience is strongly preferred.

Due to housing availability, position is not suitable for families.

Support from the host organization
A monthly allowance of US$300 for housing and US$50 for utilities will be provided. A Monthly bus pass will also be provided. Work-related hardware, including a laptop, will be supplied. All work related travel expenses are covered by HFHI-ECA.

Volunteer budget
An estimate for a single individual is given below. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)

One-time expense
Visa	$00*
MedEx Insurance Within 30 days of departure, you must confirm the purchase of MedEx insurance for your term of service. Depending on the plan selected and age of the volunteer, a price estimate is provided. Please visit the MedEx Web site to verify details.	Depending on age and deductible.
Total one-time expenses	TBD

Expense per month	Cost
Housing	$400**
Utilities	$100
Food	$250
Transport to and from work	$0
Language study	N/A
Other (recreation and personal expenses)	$100
Monthly Total	$850.00

*Contact the nearest Slovak consulate for specific information regarding visas.
**HFHI Area office will provide US$300 for housing and US$50 for utilities.

Assignment location information
Bratislava, the capital and largest city of Slovakia, is home to over 430,000 people. This city, straddling the Danube, is the only capital in the world that sits on a border with two other countries (Austria and Hungary), and it is less than 60 kilometers from Vienna, making these two capitals the closest in Europe. With a turbulent history of belonging to three of its neighboring countries, Slovakia’s infrastructure and architecture is just now coming into its own.

Thirteen nationalities are represented in Habitat Europe and Central Asia’s area office employees; there are over 30 employees with at least 15 languages among them. The ECA office coordinates 23 countries in the region.

The office is located in the center of town. Many HFHI-ECA employees are able to bike or walk to work, while those with families live further out and choose to commute using their personal vehicles or the city’s extensive public transportation system.

The atmosphere in the office is laid back and the dress code is casual but professional. Proper attire includes (but is not limited to) khakis, skirts, nice shirts and proper footwear. There is typically snow on the ground from November to March, a rainy spring time, warm summers and a chilly fall.

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