About Blossom
Blossom Trust was founded in 1993 as a grassroots NGO with the initial focus of social and economic empowerment of underprivileged women and providing a safe and nurturing space for vulnerable children living in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Over time, our work has broadened into supporting those living with HIV/AIDS, TB and diabetes and building community capacity in disadvantaged areas of Tamil Nadu, while still remaining true to our original objective of female empowerment.
Blossom has built its international donor base with volunteer outreach, an internship programme and establishing partnerships with global stakeholders, involving beneficiaries in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of its projects.
Our goal is to create a strong foundation for sustainable community ownership and national coalitions for marginalised individuals. We aim to achieve this through building community-based institutions, by promoting community awareness, and in supporting community development through grassroot initiatives. In responding to the needs of our beneficiaries, Blossom Trust works in a variety of domains ranging from economic empowerment and microfinance, to environmentally focused agriculture, to health advocacy and forums supporting transgender women and individuals infected/affected by HIV/AIDs and TB.
To find out more about our vision, mission and current projects, visit our website: https://www.blossomtrust.org
What We're Looking For
Blossom Trust is seeking a highly motivated Project Coordinator Intern to help us strengthen existing and prospective projects, target regional growth opportunities, and develop and implement strategies in line with our goals in Tamil Nadu. We are looking for someone with a basic knowledge of the project cycle to support the development of public health, agricultural and economic proposals targeting marginalized rural populations in India. Our immediate priority is our regional COVID-19 response, but in the longer term we are working towards expanding our programmes in HIV/AIDs and TB (Rainbow TB Forum), and looking to implement an agricultural training centre and reinstate a microcredit scheme for economic resilience. These are all undertaken with a focus on the empowerment and agency of women. Any specific experience in these areas is preferred, but not required.
You will work alongside the Grant Coordinator, Project Coordinator and the Director of Blossom Trust, Mercy Annapoorani. As we are a local NGO with resource limitations, candidates must be flexible and ready to take on other responsibilities as needed. Candidates will work collaboratively in a small team, but will need to be able to work autonomously with minimal supervision.
Duration
The successful candidate will be primarily based in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. On occasion we agree for you to work remotely throughout India. Our team works on a full-time basis from 10:00 pm - 6:00 pm Monday to Saturday. Your work schedule is flexible depending on you and your time management skills. We ask for a minimum commitment of 6 months, starting ASAP. Longer stays are welcome, please state your preference in the cover letter.
- COVID-19 Amendment -
Given the global pandemic and the COVID-19 situation in India, it will not be possible to begin the internship in Tamil Nadu immediately. Currently, the Blossom team is working remotely, facilitated by regular virtual meetings with the Director and maintaining an online database. Depending on the start date, we anticipate that the selected candidate will spend a period of time working with the team remotely. We understand that this can be logistically challenging, but expect it to be manageable with appropriate flexibility and cooperation on both sides. We are monitoring the situation in India and hope that our interns can return as soon as visas are being issued, so we expect the successful candidate to be committed and prepared to travel India as soon as this is feasible.
Responsibilities
As Project Coordinator you will be part of the team that is in charge of creating new projects, overseeing the current running projects and the evaluation of completed projects. Tasks include, but are not limited to:
Research: Identify gaps and possible opportunities in the region. To develop a proposal, you must familiarize yourself with the foundation's goals and with our project’s financial needs. You will need to stay up to date on current best practices in the development field.
Planning: Develop and track internal calendar of proposal deadlines for applying, monitor and evaluation of community impact and report findings to stakeholders.
Report Writing: Prepare concept papers, letters of inquiry, donor reports, proposals and project outlines.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring and evaluating projects success and making the necessary changes, researching successful project implementation methods and incorporating them.
Donor Relations: Support Fundraising and Office Communications Coordinator in creating and maintaining crowdfunding projects and communication strategies.
Volunteer Management: Oversee the recruitment, screening and stay of volunteers.
Qualifications and Skills
Required
Bachelor's degree. Ideally in Project Management, International Development, Global Health or a related field
Demonstrated knowledge of the project cycle
Experience in organising and prioritising work
Skilled in Microsoft Word, Excel and Google Drive
Strong writing and research skills
Effective team player with the ability to work and think independently, and to be resourceful and proactive
Adaptable, resourceful, patient, and respectful of diversity and cultural differences
Proficiency in English
Desired
Masters degree
Experience with grant writing
Experience living in a developing country
Demonstrated interest in India
Demonstrated interest in international development
Demonstrated interest in HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis prevention
Demonstrated interest in environmental and agricultural sustainability
Demonstrated interest in women’s rights or gender issues
Due to the nature of this job, we particularly encourage women to apply for this position.
Compensation
3,000 INR stipend per month, with 2 simple meals per a day (6 days a week) & basic accommodation in Virudhunagar.
Note: Stipend provision only applies to the work in India, not to the period of remote work.
How to apply:
Please send a CV along with a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, your proficiencies/suitability to the role and your intended period of stay to Emilia Johnson at blossom.projectmanager@gmail.com. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply soon.