Country: India
Closing date: 30 Apr 2019
About Dayspring
Dayspring Home is an orphanage located in Chittoor, a rural village of the Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India, and is home to 31 orphans between the ages of 3 and 18. The children here have all been affected by HIV/AIDS and/or TB in one way or another; orphaned by the disease, infected and then rejected by their families or abandoned by infected parent(s) who can no support them. The farm is located at Dayspring Home, on a 6 acres plot. It was established to create a sustainable food supply for the children as well as supplemental income to help cover costs for their education and health.
Dayspring Home operates under, Blossom Trust, a grassroots non-profit organisation based in the nearby town of Virudhunagar. Blossom works towards the personal, social and economic development of disadvantaged and marginalized members of the community – especially women and children.
Please visit our website for more information.
Functioning of the Farm
The crops are composed of tomatoes, eggplants (aubergines), finger-ladies, chili peppers and mango trees. We also have livestock of cows, goats and chicken.
The farm is maintained by a gardener, and international volunteers that come to visit and help us. The children also participate to pick-up and care of the livestock.
We want to be as eco-friendly and healthy as possible. Thus, instead of using pesticides and chemical fertilisers, we use an organic local mixture called Panchagavya as compost.
We now want to diversify and increase the production of crops by implementing better farming practices such as horticulture and responsible irrigation.
What We Are Looking For
Dayspring Home is seeking a highly skilled and motivated coordinator to oversee the operations of the orphanage as well as the functioning of the Farm. The successful candidate will assist the children in their daily activities, overseeing international short term volunteers and working closely with the local staff. He/she will also be required to maintain a strong social media presence and engage in a variety of fundraising activities. This position will require a candidate willing to roll up their sleeves and tackle any job that may arise in a developing country such as India. It is important that you have analytical and problem-solving skills, a strong attention to detail and are able to work under minimum to no supervision.
While you will manage the site in collaboration with the local staff during the day, you will consult with the director of Dayspring Home and Blossom Trust in person in the mornings and evenings, as well as via WhatsApp and email throughout the day. You will also work with the international Interns at Blossom Trust’s office in Virudhunagar as required.
Duration & Start Date
The successful candidate will be based in Chittoor, Tamil Nadu, on a full-time basis (9:30-6:30, Monday to Friday) for a minimum period of 2 months starting ASAP, Longer stays are welcome; please state your preference in your cover letter. Interviews will be conducted on an on-going basis, so early application is strongly advised.
Role and Responsibilities
- Setting the rhythm for the day with positive morning rituals, enforcing regular time for meals and bedtime
- Teaching the children the importance of education, cleanliness and structure
- Expressing attention and care with all of the children
- Ensuring that the rooms (dormitories, classroom, library, toilets) are properly maintained organized and cleaned
- Monitoring the children's health and hygiene
- Getting to know each child very well including their profile, history, family, education level and hardships
- Creating and maintaining systems of management
- Teaching an already established extra curricular English curriculum
- Fundraising for Dayspring Children's Home
- Assisting with the management of the short term of volunteers
- Design new water conservation methods to decrease waste
- Design and introduce efficient insect control measures
- Promote horticulture
- Improve crop diversity and production yields
- Maintain soil erosion control measures
- Introduce better practices for animal husbandry to increase production of produce
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Education, Management, International Relations, Development Studies, Human Rights, Agriculture or a related field
- Experience working with children and/or on a farm
- Keen analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail
- Fluency in written and spoken English, with strong written and verbal communication
- Highly motivated self-starter, able to work on own initiative with minimal oversight. Able to provide solutions and implement them
- Strong sense of humor, playful attitude, and the determination to see projects completion which includes fundraising
- Able to work well in multi cultural team and to maintain effective working relationships in a multicultural environment
- Able to manage groups of volunteers
Compensation
- NO PAY
- 3 meals a day and drinking water
- Basic accommodation
- Official certificate of completion
- Please note: The selected volunteer is required to cover his/her own visa and travel costs.
How to apply:
Please send a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in the position to Jared Farber at
blossom.projectcoordinator@gmail.com
Interviews will be conducted on an on-going basis; early application is strongly advised.