M&E Assistant

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: M&E Assistant (Volunteer Position)

Location: Amman, Jordan 

Purpose: To assist the Monitoring and Evaluation team in quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and management; and research.

Reporting to: M&E Coordinator

Commitment: Minimum, four days/week, minimum four-month commitment due to nature of the post

Starting Date: Between mid August and early September 2016 (to be discussed with applicant).

Benefits: Working with Capoeira4Refugees is an opportunity to help transform lives, work with an innovative and fast growing charity and be inspired every day

  • Gain Monitoring and Evaluation, field experience
  • Sharpen technical skills via the development and refinement of C4R’s M&E tools
  • Build contacts through our network of partners 

Seeking independent thinkers

 “We are supporting you in what you are already good at, yes, but more importantly, we’re supporting you to use your judgement and act in the best interests of vulnerable young people to create transformational change”. 

Tarek Alsaleh, Founder Capoeira4Refugees

Overview of Capoeira4Refugees 

Capoeira4Refugees (C4R) is not a capoeira school. C4R is a social organisation that supports grassroots capoeira initiatives to help traumatised children and youth, particularly refugees. C4R’s approach is respectful to all capoeira styles and traditions, and we do not follow any particular school. Our goals include using principles of capoeira training, such as the development of confidence and self-respect, to produce positive societal impacts, such as decreased levels of violence and aggression, improved mental health, better school performance and increased positive behavioural choices.  

 

Capoeira4Refugees was founded in 2007 working with street children in Syria (where it still has projects).  C4R has been active in the West Bank, Palestine, since 2011 and in Jordan since 2014. Capoeira4Refugees Jordan is the Regional Office supporting operations in refugee camps, and community centres in Syria, Jordan and Palestine. 

 

For further information please see http://www.capoeira4refugees.org/

 

Role Overview

This is a hands-on position, where the M&E Assistant supports all aspects of the M&E team. The role requires a proactive individual who is able to work independently and collaboratively with a team in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment. The Assistant will receive training on C4R’s evaluation methods, and will support the M&E Coordinator in organizing data collection and analysis; managing databases; and presenting data in visual and inspiring ways. 

Main Responsibilities

  • Assisting with the M&E Coordinator and trainers on attendance data collection and database maintenance. Ensure that all relevant data required from each class, workshop or event are accurately recorded according to C4R’s attendance-taking guidelines.

 

  • Organizing M&E schedule and logistics. Liaise with the Programmes Manager, trainers and partner organizations to carry out M&E activities. Assist M&E Coordinator in preparing internal and external reports.

 

  • Assisting the M&E Coordinator in qualitative data collection and analysis. Duties include conducting and transcribing interviews, obtaining translation assistance (when necessary), organizing the storage and labeling of text, audio, video/photographic information.

 

  • Contributing to the team’s ongoing literature reviews on topics pertinent to the organization’s key messages, including but not limited to refugee issues, child protection, etc.

Skills required

Essential

  • Background in the social sciences, international development, Middle Eastern or Peace and Conflict studies.
  • Prior work or internship experience with non profit organizations.
  • Proven qualitative and quantitative, desk research experience.
  • Fluent in spoken and written English skills; basic Arabic.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to give presentations to a range of audiences, including community stakeholders and donors.
  • Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, and challenging environment, with strong time-management skills.
  • Willingness to learn (basic) Capoeira.

Desirable

  • Ability to work independently when needed; organized with excellent attention to details. 
  • Strong interest in global current affairs, conflict resolution and peace building, and international development.
  • Strong interest in sport for development and peace, and capoeira in particular.
  • Fluent Arabic, and English; knowledge of basic Portuguese.
  • Knowledge of capoeira.
  • Can enter and exit Israel.
  • A flexible and enthusiastic approach to work, including the thoughtfulness to work effectively with others in a collaborative workplace.

 

To Apply

E-mail a CV (maximum two pages) and a cover letter (maximum one page) with the subject heading ‘Applying for M&E Assistant’ to mailto:application@capoeira4refugees.org by July 7, 2016. Please provide desired starting date, duration of commitment, Skype ID, and LinkedIn link in the e-mail.

 

Capoeira4Refugees will only contact short-listed candidates.



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Regional Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Regional Manager

Location: Amman, Jordan

Purpose: The Regional Manager is responsible for developing and implementing

Capoeira4Refugees’ programmes, and supporting the scaling of the Charity. This includes
working closely on developing the Changemakers programme and the capoeira platform.

Commitment: 4 days/week

Starting Date: ASAP

Salary: £28,200 pro rata (4 days’ week £1,880)
This is an incredible opportunity to work closely with an innovative Charity that is rapidly
growing. You will see the work that you do make an immediate impact on the social
projects with vulnerable refugees that C4R supports. You will work directly with a diverse
range of people, with the ability to exercise a large amount of autonomy within your role.

Overview of Capoeira4Refugees
Capoeira4Refugees works with refugee communities and particularly traumatised children
and youth using the Brazilian art/sport of capoeira to bring psychosocial benefits such as
increased self-respect and reduced levels of violence. Capoeira4Refugees was founded in
2007 working with street children in Syria (where it still has projects). C4R has been active in
the West Bank, Palestine, since 2011 and in Jordan since 2014.
For further information please see http://www.capoeira4refugees.org/

Role Overview
The position of the Regional Manager is a very hands-on practical job, where you must be
self-motivated, passionate and responsive, with the ability to use voluntary support or get
the job done yourself. This is a fundamental strategic position for the organisation and a
long-term vision for the role is desired.
You will oversee C4R’s strategy and implementation of social capoeira programmes. This
involves delivery of projects, assuring quality control, developing methodology and
monitoring and evaluation as well as future programme work. It involves specific
responsibility for some elements of internal information management and external
communications, particularly the website and social media.

www.Capoeira4Refugees.org
5 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NQ | Charity no: 1139987
Bidna Capoeira Limited trading as Capoeira4Refugees

The role requires recruitment and management of key programme delivery staff and
external contractors and consultants as well as liaison with C4R CEO, Founder and Advisors.
The position will be the primary point of contact for relationships with local and
international partners and excellent communications and relationships with donors will also
be vital.

Main Responsibilities
Ensuring the successful realisation of C4R overall objectives and deliverables
Recruiting and managing programme staff and overall programme quality
management responsibility.
Managing and developing project lifecycle and methodologies.
Ensuring delivery and quality of project goals and milestones.
Developing new programme concepts and budgets.
Manage relationships with C4R partner organisations regionally
Support development of a social media and web strategy
Management of IT systems and associated volunteers
Development and communication of C4R brand
Responsible for C4R’s relationship with the international capoeira community and
long-term strategic development of this interaction.
Core contribution to C4R’s organisational strategic goals

Person Specification

Essential
Excellent spoken and written English
Has lived and worked in conflict zones
Excellent understanding of the Middle Eastern context
Strong leadership and line-management experience
Extensive experience managing budgets
Excellent communication skills, personable, friendly and engaging
IT literacy
Proven experience managing donor relationships/stakeholders
The ability to work under pressure in a challenging environment.
Commitment to and passion for C4R’s work
Willingness and self driven to learn (basic) Capoeira
Understanding of the role capoeira can play in a development context
An ideas person!

Desirable
Experience with youth and sport programmes
Experience in managing volunteers
Portuguese

www.Capoeira4Refugees.org
5 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NQ | Charity no: 1139987
Bidna Capoeira Limited trading as Capoeira4Refugees

To Apply
Send your application with the subject line ‘Applying for Regional Manager” including the
following:
ü a current CV of no more than 2 pages
ü a covering letter of no more than one page
Email your application to mailto:application@capoeira4refugees.org. In order to minimise
administrative costs, Capoeira4Refugees will only contact short-listed candidates.

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RealtimeAid

Dear Community,

We are excited to share important news regarding the growth of Capoeira4Refugees. We are happy to announce that our organisation will be going through a rebrand as of the 30th of January and will subsequently be operating as RealtimeAid, an umbrella organisation under which Capoeira4Refugees will be placed.

By rebranding ourselves, we can ensure that charitable activities continue to successfully support those most in need and reach more than before. Our organisation has worked in Syria since 2007; over that time, we have seen how it was almost impossible for grassroots projects to have access to international aid.

“We are frustrated to see that each organisation competes with each other in the aid sector – for money, visibility, and to pay their employees’ salaries. Local initiatives are struggling to survive, worn down by bureaucracy. We want to change this!” Founder – Tarek Alsaleh

‘RealtimeAid’ aims to drastically improve the efficiency and sustainability of humanitarian interventions. Working with innovative tech solutions, we support social initiatives in conflict zones to get rid of paperwork create trust and visibility. We support a powershift from international to local.

Learn more about us: www.realtimeaid.org

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Sport For Impact

By Marianna Castaldo

Many studies show how large of an impact physical exercise – from running to water sports, from football to aerobics and martial arts, from horse riding to trampoline training, and so on – has on children with special needs. At Capoeira4Refugees (C4R) where we made our mission to spread the martial art of Capoeira to increase the overall psychosocial wellbeing of young people impacted by conflict, with fun, resilience and happiness, we strongly support this belief. As a matter of fact, we often organize Capoeira workshops in a facility, in Al-Raqqa, that is entirely dedicated to children with special needs, with the positive result to witness these young children finally experience a sense of “belonging” to their communities, as well as improving their well-being. Ultimately, a positive side effect of bringing sport practice to children with needs, involves their families and caregivers; they see their kids learning how to interact with one another, socialize and have fun, while being relieved, for a moment, from the daily, strenuous efforts to take care of them. We at C4R will keep investing our time, resources and efforts to organize and host further capoeira training dedicated to children with special needs, in the near and far future.

There are plenty of studies that demonstrate the positive effects of sport practice on children with special needs. In particular, many research papers focus on children in the autism spectrum, and how the consistent practice of physical activities empowers them in developing their social and communication abilities, and improve their physical wellbeing. A research paper named “The Effect of Physical Activity Interventions on Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder”, which included 29 studies on 1,009 participants in the age bracket of 5 to 15 years across various countries, observed the positive improvement in muscular strength/endurance, locomotor skills, manipulative skills, skill-related fitness and social functioning through the practice of trampoline training, horse riding, running, jogging, and aquatic exercises. As we read in the paper: “researchers, in these studies, have considered why physical activity improves social skills, and the outcome was that, when designed appropriately, physical activity programs can provide a fun, safe setting for interacting with other children with others.”[1] Another research on autism spectrum disorders – which included 26 sessions of MMA intervention on 34 children – observed how mixed martial arts training improves social skills, and lessens problematic behaviours in boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Parents of the 34 children involved reported significantly higher positive social behaviours and significantly lower negative social behaviours between pre- and post-test. The results of this study increase the understanding of the benefits of martial arts training for children with autism; in particular, the study highlights the importance of providing a social component with physical exercise. The dynamic interactions that occurred during the main martial arts activity utilized many important adaptive social skills, including imitation, verbal and non-verbal communication, turn-taking, and perspective-taking.[2]

At Capoeira4Refugees we strongly embrace the belief, which the above studies, and many others not mentioned here, have proved to be a fact: the use of sport practice actually improves the overall wellbeing of children who are dealing with challenging situations in conflict zone; having special needs definitely aggravates their challenging situations and their demanding lives. Therefore, we have decided to dedicate our efforts also to support children with needs. C4R continuously organize and host Capoeira workshops at a “Center for Children with Special Needs” in Al-Raqqa. The intent is to involve these children into the practice of this ancient martial art with the double intent to make them feel part of the community, through fun activities that are typical of the youth age but that often times are precluded to them due to their specific needs, as well as provide them with tools that can improve their social interactions with their peers.  As a result, it has been reported to C4R, that many of these children have benefited from these workshops, and from the practice of Capoeira itself, experiencing a stronger sense of belonging and inclusivity that has made them feel part of their community. Young boy and young girls, who have participated to our Capoeira workshops, have shared their happiness, telling us how they have been finally able to experience a sense of belonging.

Lastly, a positive side effect of supporting and impacting lives of children with special needs through sport, directly affects/involves families, and caregivers. As a matter of fact, these families can witness their sons and daughters finally experience social interaction with their peers and other adults, who are not in their immediate circle. Furthermore, these young boys and young girls have fun, all while improving common behaviours – both physical and social – that are typical of the autism spectrum.

Our desire and our intent, here at C4R, is to continue investing our resources and efforts in hosting Capoeira trainings to support children with special needs.

[1] “The Effect of Physical Activity Interventions on Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder” http://iapem.gr/article_files/files/2-4-2019-Autism_Research.pdf

[2] “Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750946721000337

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Women for Peace: Community-Empowerment and Capacity-building in Al Raqqa Syria

By: ALessia Baker

Women for Peace is a local civil society organisation operating in North and East Syria since 2017. It’s core mission is to empower and offer protection to the local community in the region, especially women, children and adolescents. Women for Peace is committed to strengthening education, capacity building, together with building economic development to support people’s livelihoods. The organisation’s work is playing an important role in supporting society’s cohesion and development, having an invaluable impact on communities in the war-stricken city of Al-Raqqa. 

The organisation runs its projects by providing learning and capacity building spaces, where community members get a chance to network with other individuals and their own institutions. In addition, their activities are also aimed at providing financial and technical support for individuals to implement projects in a participatory manner, based on the value of collaboration and active citizenship. As a result of Women’s for Peace initiatives, the economic conditions of many women in Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor have improved and work opportunities for unemployed youth have also been created. In parallel, the organization also worked to encourage youth and women to participate in peace building activities to strengthen community cohesion. Central to the organisation’s activities has also been the rehabilitation of spaces for children to play and experience the world around them in a safe environment.

Many activities have focused on improving individuals’ health and building awareness among the population to provide support to vulnerable members of the community. For example, a health care project focused on children and women with diabetes distributing insulin devices and organising awareness-raising sessions. 

Similarly, the ‘Pink Month’ initiative focused on building breast cancer awareness and support. Other projects targeted the youth, educating young people on the risks of taking drugs and, in general, involving the youth in stimulating activities.  A number of projects also revolved around supporting individuals with disabilities, providing children with special assistance and distributing chairs and material to better cope with their disabilities. In response to the more current health challenge posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, educational sessions on the risks posed by the virus were organised and protective masks were distributed in the schools.

Education and sport also play a central role in the organisation’s work, providing better opportunities for local kids and helping them build stronger bonds with each other and their community. For example, the Youth Change Project trained adolescents in agriculture and artisanry. In a similar way, the Change Leaders project developed leadership skills. Another successful volunteer-based project involved students and parents in a cleaning project restoring  schools and public spaces after they had been liberated from ISIS. Additional initiatives  focused on sport activities as a medium to encourage peace and tolerance within the community. For instance, Women for Peace sponsored the first primary school football championship in coordination with the Sports and Youth Committee and the Education Committee, under the name of ‘The Love and Peace League’.

Among the countless stories that exemplify Women for Peace’s success and importance in empowering the local community in Al-Raqqa, a particularly inspiring and touching story is the experience of Ward Hammoud Al-Ismae. Ward Hammoud is a young 22 year old woman with special needs, having been born with only 2 fingers on each hand and foot. Lacking adequate support due to her family’s poverty, Ward Hammoud was always introverted and did not interact with the other kids. The support of the Women for Peace programs changed her life for the better, giving her a chance to find her own place in society: 

‘’The training had a great impact in changing her life and gaining her greater self-confidence and making her possess good capabilities that would qualify her to work in the civil field where she applied to a job in the Civil Administration in Al-Raqqa as a data entry operator and after her success in the employment competition she was appointed and became active in society and able to improve her family’s living situation.’’ – shared Hind Mohammed, Head of Women for Peace. 

At the moment, Women for Peace is working on a project focused on creating safe spaces for adolescents to interact in society. The ‘Bridges Project’ is based out of a youth center equipped with a number of departments: a section for sports, one to develop arts and crafts, a cinema, a music room and also spaces to host capacity building trainings.These departments are supervised by trainers and facilitators specializing in these activities. Around 500 young people from the area will benefit from the project. The organization has many more plans in the pipeline to continue developing the area and open new doors to the local communities.

However, as many local organisations operating in remote and at risk areas, Women for Peace is faced with the constant challenge of accessing enough funds to carry out their important work. The needs of the organisation and the prerogatives of potential donors are not always aligned making it hard to attract funding, which in turn is causing a brain drain and lack of resources for the organisation’s activities.  

The collaboration with Capoeira for Refugees has the aim to expand the scope of the women’s and youth empowerment and will also support Women’s for Peace activities in order for the organisation to continue and develop their impactful  work in the Syrian city of Al Raqqa.

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Capoeira4Refugees for Education in Al-Raqqa

By: Marianna Castaldo

Amidst the devastating consequences of the Syrian War, Capoeira4Refugees was able to assist 130.000 students and many young locals and families in Al-Raqqa renovating and giving back safe learning spaces to the community, where a sense of normalcy could have brought back.

Among the many, tragic consequences of the 10-year long conflict, Syria has also faced a dramatic education crisis. Before the crisis, Syria had a strong education system with almost universal primary school enrolment and 70% of children attending secondary school. However, the worsening crisis put an entire generation of children at risk of being lost to and within a cycle of violence. To better understand the gravity of the current education system, and the impact of this war on families and, more importantly, on children, here are some relevant statistics: 2.1 to 2.4 million children are currently out of the education system in Syria, which is approximately half (5-17 years old) children that are eligible for primary and secondary education in the current school year, and another million of those in school are at risk of dropping out2. In 2014, Syria had the second-worst enrolment rate in the world according to the OCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin Syria Issue 2 June 2015. Furthermore, 2 out of 5 schools in Syria cannot be used because they are damaged, destroyed, shelter displaced families, or being used for military purposes. The absence of safe and protective learning spaces, coupled with a shortage of teachers, textbooks, as well as adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities, have all become obstacles to children’s access to an education.

Specifically, in Al-Raqqa, when ISIS took hold between 2014 and 2017, all schools and educational institutions were closed. After the IS forces left, 44% of schools had suffered damage and destruction. According to a report published in March 2021 by the United Nations “REACH” initiative, only half of the children between the ages of 6 and 12, and 12% of children between the ages of 13 and 17, currently receive an education.

Incoherence with our core values and our mission to bring fun, resilience, and happiness to the lives of children in conflict zones, we at Capoeira4Refugees believe in the necessity and priority of education in areas of conflict. Education is life-saving for affected communities and families because it can provide a sense of normalcy to children’s lives, as well as psychosocial support, and it can also strengthen their survival skills and coping mechanisms while saving young children and adolescents from exploitation and harm4; last but not least, education gives hope in a better future which, in the end, is the foundation for building a stronger nation.

These are among the reasons why we at Capoeira4Refugees have been working hard and closely with local agents of change, that are part of our localized network, to restore and bring back some of these safe spaces for children and families, being able to rehabilitate 10 schools and 4 parks in the sole city of Al-Raqqa.

Through the “Al-Raqqa Community Engagement Project”, we have leveraged and engaged our unique and strong network of young people and community leaders, whose development we have started in 2012, with the sole intent to identify and support local community voices and needs.

Over the past 9 years, in partnership with local community leaders, we were able to:

  • run large community events to involve families and children affected by the war
  • develop and run psychological programs with over 200 traumatized children
  • restore critical infrastructure and services, with a specific focus on child-friendly and safe learning spaces – which include school buildings and community spaces – through cleaning, painting, building works, repairing of broken systems and artwork.
  • run large community events to involve families and children affected by the war
  • develop and run psychological programs with over 200 traumatized children
  • restore critical infrastructure and services, with a specific focus on child-friendly and safe learning spaces – which include school buildings and community spaces – through cleaning, painting, building works, repairing of broken systems and artwork.

We at C4R aim to keep working closely with the local communities and their leaders to strengthen and expand our network which, in the end, will bring us closer to families and children in Al-Raqqa, and in Syria, to let them express their needs and priorities, and support their achievement. Our goal remains to continue with our hard work to bring back learning safe spaces, restoring the educational system back to how it was to the community so that they families and children can feel a sense of stability and develop strong skills that they can carry with them for the rest of their life!


1.Assessment Working Group for Syria, ‘Syria Integrated Needs Assessment (SINA)’, December 2013.
2. Schools under Attack in Syria. A monitoring report on the impact of attacks on Syrian schools by the by the Southern Turkey Education Cluster (Syria response) https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/FINAL-Education-Under-Attack_STurkey-Briefing-Paper_2015-09-03.pdf
3.https://www.unicefusa.org/infographic-education-crisis-syria
4.Schools under Attack in Syria. A monitoring report on the impact of attacks on Syrian schools by the by the Southern Turkey Education Cluster (Syria response): https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/FINAL-Education-Under-Attack_STurkey-Briefing-Paper_2015-09-03.pdf

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