Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are: 1) United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).  I chose this organization because of it focus on the survival and development of children in the areas of health, nutrition, immunization, malaria and advocacy & partnership.  Of special interest to me is the interest in basic education and gender equality for children.  This is of interest to me because it links my challenge as it focuses on prioritizing education in early childhood, providing equitable access while monitoring the quality of education. Developing of child friendly schools is also a focus of the organization, I found this inspiring as most schools today are not child friendly, and teachers are not as warm and welcoming as they should.  2) The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is another organization that appeals to me for its quality care and education for all children, especially in their early years of life.  The aspect that caught my admiration was the inclusion of children with special needs now so when they “become policy makers and architects, they will shape the world with their own hands…..make this world acceptable for all…..learn to ignore differences…..learn to treat all people fairly”, including those of different races or culture. 3) Save the children is an independent organization that focuses on creating lasting change in the lives of needy children around the world.  This organization collaborates with communities to make children and families find help within themselves.  It is of interest to me because the organization is quick to respond to children needs when there is any disaster by providing food, medical care and education, it also helps in the rebuilding of disaster struck communities through long-term recovery programs.  

The current available jobs that interest me in UNICEF are 1) Human Resources Assistant (Payroll), G-6, DHR, New York, although I feel that this might not get me directly working with the children.  I would need to have competencies in HR, dealing with people, especially difficult people. 2) Deputy Representative - P-5, Nigeria, Abuja.  This has to do with the designing and implementing of advocacy strategies towards promoting public awareness of UN-supported program and goals, while collaborating with Regional Advisers and HQ Officers for overall coordination.  I would need to have competency in advocacy, good communication skills, passion, with excellent promotion strategy in order to acquaint the public with the organization’s programs. 

I could not find any job opportunity from ISSA website, but I feel that the organization would need people to spread the word about the organization and what they do, I would like to feature in this.  The required skills and experience would equally be good communication skills, passion, and advocacy. 

Job opportunities for Save the Children organization abound and could be found under the tag “Take Action”.  I intend to join the volunteer group, advocate for children, spreading the word, and donating.  In all of these, passion is an essential skill required and very good communication skills.

References

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/