Intern, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

The Health, Disaster, Clime and Crisis (HDCC) Department focuses on all components of disaster risk management, as well as all phases of disaster and crisis response recognizing that this often operate in a simultaneously and overlapping manner. The HDCC ensures quality, relevant and effective support to the National Societies of Red Cross (NS) to improve the services they provide to communities and people affected by disasters and crises and in support of resilience-building processes of disadvantaged groups. This covers actions reaching all levels of intervention –from local to global- in a way that fosters the effective integration of the seven areas of focus , as well as timely assistance to ensure that Red Cross National Societies consistently deliver –through their volunteers and staff- relevant country-wide services to vulnerable people, sustained for as long as needed.

To achieve its goal, the HDCC department delivers services to different stakeholders, at different levels. It mainly works with and through Red Cross National Societies, providing technical support and assisting in the implementation of their operations and programmes. It also works closely with other humanitarian partners and other actors, such as regional integration mechanisms, disaster management systems and civil society.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) supports National Societies in the Americas in strengthening their capacities to provide safe access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, especially in emergencies, protracted crises, and recovery situations. The regional WASH program is committed to continuous improvement, technical innovation, and intersectoral collaboration, including health, climate change, migration, and anticipatory action.

Provide technical, programmatic, and administrative support to the regional WASH team in the implementation of key initiatives, including capacity building, systematization of good practices, information management, emergency preparedness, and operational support.

Objectives:

General Objectives applicable to all staff are:

• Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals.
• Abide by and work following the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.
• Adhere to standard operational procedures (SOPs), Code of Conduct, Principles and Rules for Red Cross and Red Crescent Humanitarian Assistance and other standards.
• Submit the Handover Document, Mission Appraisal, and a Deployment Feedback at the end of the mission.

The Intern will work closely with the Regional WASH Coordinator on the following tasks and objectives:

• Support the collection, systematization, and analysis of information related to WASH projects, operations, and activities in the region.
• Assist in the development of training tools, technical materials, and awareness-raising content.
• Support the logistical and technical organization of regional workshops, training sessions, meetings, and webinars.
• Contribute to the mapping of key WASH actors and the strengthening of the regional database.
• Collaborate on initiatives related to climate change, anticipatory action, public health, and other cross-cutting areas.
• Support the documentation of lessons learned, case studies, and results of missions or emergency responses.
• Perform other tasks assigned by the supervisor or the WASH technical team.
• Other tasks that are not necessary identified but may be needed.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the internship, the intern will have strengthened their skills in collecting, systematizing, and analyzing technical and programmatic information in the WASH sector, contributing to the development of products that support decision-making.
• The intern will be able to support the creation of tools and resources for training and awareness-raising in water, sanitation, and hygiene, while integrating cross-cutting approaches such as climate change and public health.
• The intern will have gained practical experience in organizing workshops, meetings, and regional events, strengthening competencies in logistics management, planning, and teamwork in humanitarian contexts.
• The intern will be able to contribute to the documentation of lessons learned and case studies, producing outputs that foster continuous improvement and innovation within the regional WASH program.

Duration:

The internship will be for a period of 1 month. Any extension of this period will be agreed by the Intern and the Regional HDCC team. After this period the intern will fully debrief all aspects and result of their support as intern to the IFRC´ Americas Regional Office.

Pre-deployment Responsibilities:

The IFRC will fully cover the costs related of this deployment. This includes insurance, accommodation, international and local travel expenses in Panamá. IFRC provide a stipend of CHF 30.00 per day, to support cover food and transportation expenses.

Security

The Intern will adhere to the in-country security regulations of his/her Duty Station. The following security regulations will apply:

• The intern is included in the IFRC Security Framework, and s/he must be aware of and adhere to the IFRC Security Guidelines during the mission. These include signing the “Acknowledgement of risk: security in the field” document annexed to the Security Guidelines.
• The interns will follow security plans of her/his place of residence during providing support remotely.
• If there are not Security guidelines already in place for the country of operation, these will be set by the TL in coordination with the Security Focal Point, and the Security Unit in Geneva (unit@ifrc.org)
• It is a requirement that each team member must complete the IFRC Stay Safe online course.

Due to the importance of the safety and security of individuals and the mission as a whole, any breach of Security Regulations may be considered to be misconduct. As such, security breaches may have disciplinary consequences, up to and including the immediate termination of the assignment or mission.

Duty of Care

• Travel approval process: The Regional Surge Focal point must be aware of all travel requests. Travel cannot be approved until coordinated with the following focal points in the regional office or nearest IFRC office: Security, Staff health (if available in the region), and Air Ops. The travel checklist must be signed and completed prior to travel.
• PPE: If the Rapid Response personnel need to engage in field work where physical distance is not possible and they are not provided with PPE prior to travel, then adequate PPE is to be provided by the receiving office. Please follow the proposed packing list for deciding adequate PPE amounts.
• Contracting and insurance: The mission dates must include quarantine days upon return to the rapid response personnel’s home country. Quarantine requirements should be checked at the time of deployment and during the deployment and personnel should be returning home within the contract time. In the event that the rapid response personnel show symptoms within the quarantine days after returning home, the nearest Surge Focal Point is to be alerted and the rapid response personnel’s insurance coverage extended until the end of their symptoms.

Mission Health Vaccines

• The Intern should have the minimum required vaccinations completed before deploying to the mission country. Please see the Staff Health Guidance document available on IFRC GO for more information about COVID-19.
• Please check for more information at SoS international (internationalsos.com)
• Contact person at Regional Office for any queries regarding vaccination: staff.health@ifrc.org

Other information:

• The Intern should wear signage as provided by the Federation office.
• All team members should wear signage as provided by their National Society or Federation office.
• All team members should carry Identification issued by their National Society identifying them as a red member of the Movement.
• All members should be outfitted with proper equipment including:
• Laptop computer and thumb drives
• Mobile phone
• The individual will be briefed online (Skype, Teams, etc) once the deployment is confirmed.

Debriefing

• Mission debriefs:Intern will be expected to complete a debrief at the end of their mission. The debrief includes a Handover Document, a Mission Appraisal, and a Deployment Feedback.  
• End of mission Feedback and Handover report:The intern will provide a handover report to the line manager/s (including technical line management as applicable). 
• Mission appraisal:The mission appraisal of the intern will be done by the line manager/s. The appraisal form will be shared by their line manager before the end of mission.

• Student or recent graduate in the following fields: Sanitary or Environmental Engineering, Public Health, Social Sciences, International Relations, Humanitarian Development, or other related fields.
• Trainings related to emergency operations

• Working or volunteer experience within the Red Cross Movement and / or IFRC.
• Working experience in emergency operation within the Red Cross Movement.
• Contextual understanding of the Americas Region.
• Experience in capacity building and facilitating workshops and training.
• Proven interest in WASH issues, humanitarian aid, or community development.
• Basic knowledge of Sphere standards, the safe water cycle, hygiene promotion, or emergency management is desirable.

• Good written and oral communication skills;
• Good computer skills (including presentations and MS Office Suite);
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Good stress management skills.
• Networking skills

Language

• Spanish, Spoken and Writing – Mandatory, English (intermediate level desirable).
• English, Spoken and Writing – Mandatory, Spanish (intermediate level desirable).

Some Key Contact Details 

An integral part of these Terms of Reference is the ‘Code of Conduct for Staff working in an operation managed or coordinated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ which all the team members must be familiar with and comply with.  All members should have received and signed a copy of the Code of Conduct from their deploying entity.  If you have not, please let us know.

Note:

Please complete the attached form to complete your Internship Application:  https://form.jotform.com/251464429828870.

COMPETENCIES AND VALUES

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core Competencies: Communication; Collaboration and Teamwork; Judgement and Decision Making; National Society and Customer Relations; Creativity and Innovation; Building Trust