Habitat for Humanity Cambodia: Civil Engineering Construction /

Posted by Kim Axworthy to South East Asia, 9th August 2010, 1:39pm
Location: , Cambodia Link to google map
Applications close 6th September 2010

Partner Description:

HFH Cambodia is one of our newest partner organisations.  Their mission is to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in thriving communities. To date, HFHC has served over 1,000 Cambodian families in need by providing land, secure titles, house construction, house repair/renovation, water and sanitation facilities including toilets, wells, open ponds, water filters, etc., and connection to infrastructure and services, as well as health, finance and livelihood training. They are increasingly looking to make all provided solutions more resilient to the effects of climate change.

 

 

Role Required:

Working together with local Habitat staff, the successful EWB volunteer will have the opportunity to work with and learn from local construction supervisors, skilled builders, community people, partners and stakeholders in order to understand the Khmer building practices and the challenges they face in the areas worked in by HFHC.

Combining this experience with their previously held construction knowledge and experience, the volunteer will be critical in identifying how to increase the availability of low cost, climate-resilient housing, as well as develop diaster mitigation strategies for target communities within the overall program in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Battambong and Siem Reap. 

The EWB volunteer would also ideally have working knowledge of waste water treatment systems, which also form a component of HFHC's solutions. The EWB volunteer will need to creatively develop these vital skills within the HFHC staff, so that these can also readily be built into the existing construction and maintenance capacity of relevant communities. 

Examples of outputs to be achieved alongside HFHC staff and other local workers include producing a low cost house drawing design, building a model house, producing an evaluation report of this process, and developing further the in-house building standards and construction management abilities of HFHC in line with local standards.

The EWB volunteer will be challenged during cross-cultural experiences as they take part in knowledge-sharing with community members and HFHC staff, requiring them to flexibly and patiently adapt solutions and standards to meet the current strengths and weaknesses of all participants.  The volunteer will need to demonstrate their adaptability and ingenuity during this two-way knowledge transfer, since relative to performing this same work in Australia, there will be new challenges in Cambodia.

As HFHC currently does not have the available technology to improve the plight of at-risk floating commune, the successful applicant will be critical in building HFHC's network with other actors in this field, providing an exciting opportunity to link many of EWB's existing partnership organisations, such as Live and Learn Environmental Education, who are also working in similar communities on Lake Tonle Sap.

 

The EWB volunteer will experience a wide range of lifestyles in Cambodia, accompanying HFHC staff to project sites across all their operation areas:

• In Phnom Penh: resettlement sites around the city
• In Siem Reap: rural poor, many of whom are traditional farmers
• In Battambang: urban landless poor
• In Kandal: families who have voluntarily relocated from the Steung Meanchey Municipal Dumpsite in Phnom Penh

Timing:

The role consists of three important phases beginning October 2010, including a 12 month field placement in Cambodia commencing in January 2011.

 

Phase 1: Pre-departure – October 2010

• Pre-departure preparation (medical clearances, training, administrative)
• Linking with the Australian based EWB project team if required for the project
• Linking with a local EWB chapter to enhance your resources and support networks and create opportunities for sharing your experience with members
• Identifying additional resources and support for the project
• Communicating with the Partner Organisation to discuss and clarify the project and role requirements

 

Phase 2: Field operations – January 2011

• Departure to host country and partner organisations
• Working alongside your counterpart within the partner organisation to meet your position objectives and build organisational and technical capacity
• Linking with EWB Field Officers to develop appropriate ‘Learning & Change’ materials to share with EWB members and partner organisations

 

Phase 3: Post field alumni – 2012

• Return to Australia to collaborate with the project team, knowledge hub (if relevant) and with an EWB chapter for a minimum period of 12 months  - this is on a casual volunteer basis – e.g. one evening a fortnight
• Participate in various EWB events including the National Conference and intake presentation evenings
• Participate in the development and dissemination of ‘Learning & Change’ materials within the EWB community
• Mentor future field volunteers preparing to work with the partner organisation

 

To fulfill this role, the volunteer will receive an allowance for living and basic accommodation while overseas, airfares to your host country at the commencement and completion of the placement, travel and emergency evacuation insurance, technical and personal support from EWB staff and chapters.

 

Applications

Please complete the volunteer application form and attach a statement addressing how you meet the essential and desirable selection criteria. We cannot assess applications that do not address the selection criteria.

 

Selection Criteria

We are looking for people who want to make a difference through a challenging cross-cultural experience, who are committed to having positive impact in overseas communities through all aspects of their placement, and who are willing to share their experiences with others to create change within the engineering sector in Australia

It is important that our volunteers understand that they will be working to build local capacity, rather than manage and deliver a project themselves, and this should always be their key focus.

For this particular role, it is essential that the candidate has:

• University Degree and work experience in Construction Engineering or Architecture/Environmental Science/or similar
• Experience or interest in disaster mitigation
• Knowledge and/or experience in safe water and sanitation
• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills and cultural sensitivity
• Effective oral and written communication skills

 

The ideal candidate would also have meeting the following desirable criteria:

• Be an excellent facilitator
• Have work experience and/or knowledge of community development
• Be willing to live in simple, traditional accommodation and work in rural areas with vulnerable people and children
• Have the ability to work effectively as a part of a team and individually 
• Have strong organisational skills
• Be capable of riding a small motorbike/scooter

 

Our field volunteers are expected to demonstrate the following personal attributes:

• Humility
• Cross-cultural communication skills
• Empathy and caring for others
• Enthusiasm and passion
• Creativity
• Willingness to learn
• Adaptability and ability to deal with ambiguity
• Good understanding of capacity development and current development issues
• Leadership skills and experience in a leadership role
• Ruggedness and ability to live in harsh conditions

 

Additional Information

Confirmation of secondment is subject to:

• Formal approval from EWB and the partner organisation.
• Procurement of visa and work permits.
• Satisfactory completion of a first aid certificate.
• Satisfactory participation in a pre-departure briefing run by EWB in November 2010.
• A satisfactory medical examination of the applicant.
• A satisfactory criminal record check of the applicant and accompanying adults by the Australian Police.

 

EWB adheres to statutory laws in Australia and foreign countries regarding child exploitation, child pornography and the abuse of children. We are committed to the protection of children from all forms of harm.

Applications close on Monday 6^th September.

Please complete and return applications to k.axworthy@ewb.org.au with “Habitat for Humanity Cambodia - Construction” as the subject title.

Or post to the EWB Perth Office:
c/o The University of Western Australia
School of Environmental Systems Engineering
M015
Stirling Highway
Crawley 6009
WA

Please DO NOT attach CVs, references or any other documentation.

For more information contact Kim Axworthy – South East Asia Program Coordinator:

Email: k.axworthy@ewb.org.au

Ph: +618 6488 8039

 

Please log in to post a comment