Looking for an opportunity to gain experience and develop professional experience overseas? Take advantage of Canadian Crossroad International's (CCI) specialized volunteer opportunities this spring/summer 2010.

CCI is looking for professionals as well as recent graduates to take part in such projects as:

• Business, finance and economic development (Gahna, Togo, Senegal, Mali)
• Youth Entrepreneurship programming (Bolivia)
• Computer and database management (Gahna, Togo, Senegal, Mali)

Deadline is ASAP. See below postings for position requirements and details.

Note: most positions require proficiency in Spanish or French

Credit Risk Analyst: Bolivia 

Responsibilities: 

The Credit Risk Analyst will identify, measure, monitor, and control risk in FONCRESOL in the following areas: 

1. Credit Risk 

2. Liquidity Risk 

3. Financial Risk 

4. Market Risk 

The Credit Risk Analyst will work together with the executive floor (the Director, Credit Managers, Finance, Systems) in the National office to design the risk management policies and procedures for the organization. This work is based in an exclusively Spanish-speaking environment.   

This is a 7.5 month volunteer position with 5.5 months based with the FONCRESOL (Fondo de Credito Solidario/Solidarity Credit Fund) National Office in La Paz, Bolivia.  FONCRESOL is a Bolivian non- governmental organization (NGO) working with microfinance, solidarity economy and community empowerment in rural and peri-urban communities.  

For more information please go to Volunteer Positions South America

Fair Trade Marketing Specialist: Bolivia 

Responsibilities: 

The Fair Trade Marketing Specialist will work with FONCRESOL Sucre staff to assist agricultural producers to access national and international fair trade and organic markets, including Canadian markets.  The Marketing Specialist will: develop and strengthen new fair trade and organic market contacts, importers and networks; identify new organic product opportunities for promotion in Canada and other regions; assess needs for producers in pursuing viable fair trade and organic products for export; develop appropriate tools for staff to increase, monitor and maintain fair trade and organic networks, importers, and contacts; share market findings and tools with staff and train on implementation.  This work is based in an exclusively Spanish-speaking environment.  

This is a 7.5 month volunteer position with 5.5 months based in the FONCRESOL (Fondo de Credito Solidario/Solidarity Credit Fund) Sucre office in Sucre, Bolivia. FONCRESOL is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes the establishment of small micro-enterprise projects among rural and urban marginalized populations, through the introduction of micro-credit, community empowerment.  

For more information please go to Volunteer Positions South America

Social Performance Specialist: Bolivia 

Responsibilities: 

The Social Performance Specialist will work with Pro-rural staff to develop and incorporate indicators that demonstrate the social value of Pro-rural’s work in microfinance.  The Specialist will have two components to their work:  1. they will help to assess Pro-rural’s present indicators of social performance and propose new ones, taking into account current instruments in place; and 2. they will propose ongoing social performance monitoring and evaluation tools for staff and train staff on how to use and integrate these tools into their work.    This work is based in an exclusively Spanish-speaking environment.   

This is a 7.5 month volunteer position with 5.5 months based in Pro-rural (Asociación Boliviana para el Desarrollo Rural/the Bolivian Association for Rural Development), in La Paz, Bolivia.  Pro-rural is an NGO working in rural development, providing technical, seed capital, credit and joint venture support to small and medium agro-industrial activities that reactivate rural economies and generate local employment. Pro-rural further provides capacity building services to productive enterprises in the areas of planning, gender, microfinance and marketing.  (www.prorural.org.bo). 

For more information please go to Volunteer Positions South America

Youth Entrepreneurship Programme Designer: Bolivia  

Responsibilities: 

The Youth Entrepreneurship Programme Designer will evaluate the financial feasibility of an economic activities project with university-aged students.  The volunteer will also design a comprehensive microfinance intervention proposal that will consider youth entrepreneurship, social responsibility and the environment. The volunteer will work directly with the manager of the regional Sucre office and with the support of the operations team (credit officers and administration).This work is based in an exclusively Spanish-speaking environment.  

This is a 7.5 month volunteer position with 5.5 months based with the FONCRESOL (Fondo de Credito Solidario/Solidarity Credit Fund) Office in Sucre, Bolivia.  FONCRESOL is a Bolivian non-governmental organization (NGO) working with microfinance, solidarity economy and community empowerment in rural and peri-urban communities.  

For more information please go to Volunteer Positions South America

Volunteer position: Fund Development Trainer 

 Duration:  5 month overseas placement, 1 month in Canada (preparation and follow up)  Approximate departure: March 2010     Location:  Overseas: Accra, Ghana  

At Canadian Crossroads International (CCI), our aim is to build a constituency of global citizens committed to voluntarism, international development and social action in the new millennium. We do this by developing partnerships between community-based organizations in Canada and in Southern hemisphere countries in order to build the capacity of partners to serve their communities and to foster international collaboration.   

The Project: 

Pro-Link Organization is a non-governmental organization established in 1993 and located in Ghana, Africa. The organization’s headquarters is situated in Accra and they currently have seven field offices throughout the Volta, Central and Greater Accra Regions.  

Pro-Link addresses the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its impacts on communities from a gender equality approach. Its programs include education, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), as well as care for orphans and vulnerable children. This includes income generation for positive women, skills training for street youth and livestock project for marginalized families.  

Pro-Link is currently seeking support to design and implement a fundraising strategy for the organization as well as to strengthen its staff’s skills in the area of resource mobilization.  

For more information on the organization, please visit Pro-Link’s website: 

http://www.prolinkghana.org/