About The Africa Family Law Network
The Africa Family Law Network (“Network”) was launched in October 2022 at a workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, which was attended by over 60 advocates and activists from over 23 countries in the African continent. The launch event fostered discussions on the various dimensions of family law within customary, civil, and religious systems, its socio-economic implications as well as the conviction that family law reform is necessary to ensure equality for women and girls. The Network is led by organising partners comprising Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) represented by Equality Now, African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) and The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA); and Musawah. It aims to formulate a regional alliance amongst national advocates and groups that raises collective action and accelerates organising as well as mobilisation efforts towards family law reform.
This Network contributes to the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law[1] which calls on all African Union member states to ensure equality for women and men under the law in all matters relating to the family, regardless of religion, culture, and tradition.[2] This Network is also complemented by Musawah’s global Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws which aims to build the movement to achieve the vision of equality and justice being reflected in Muslim Family laws and practices globally by 2030. Both campaigns aim to make the reform of discriminatory family laws a global priority to support regional and national reform efforts.
Based on this background, the Africa Family Law Reform Network is seeking a qualified and dedicated individual with the overall responsibility of successfully overseeing and coordinating its interventions.
Location: Flexible with preference for someone open to travel
Key Responsibilities
Organising Partners’ Coordination and Management:
- Coordinates the process of developing the organising partners’ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) including vision, mission, strategic objectives, organising principles, values and ways of working
- Coordinates the development of the Network’s three-year strategic plan and its implementation roadmap of actions and outcomes
- Oversees the implementation of the strategic plan (once adopted), provides support to actions the parties identify, and proposes opportunities to partners for cross-organizational collaboration
- Reports formally to SIHA as the lead coordinating partner. They will also act as the supervisor to the coordinator and a thought partner to the Coordinator in how to prioritise, address challenges and carry out the work.
Network Engagement:
- Works with the Network’s partners working group to jointly:
- map the target audiences of women’s rights advocates and organisations (WRA/Os) working on family law reform and potential partners,
- develop, facilitate, and expand the network’s membership structure
- assess the Network’s status in terms of collaboration platforms and tools and oversee necessary changes accordingly
- Mobilises and coordinates resources in support of the network’s development, collaboration and collective actions
Network Governance:
- Coordinates meetings, sets meeting agenda, prepared pre-reads, takes minutes and follows-up on actions needed for the Network’s partners steering and working groups, as well as any ad hoc group meetings
- Coordinates and supports annual and biannual virtual and in person meetings, supporting travel, logistics, budget management, and facilitation
- Creates spaces for cross-network members and partners team building and learning in support of cohesion and effective collaboration
- Works closely with the partners’ working group to assess existing network governance structures, explore and develop ways to improve them
Other Duties:
- Represent the Network at events organised by partners and members
- Participate in meetings related to family law initiatives of the hosting partner
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experiences
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in international development/law/human rights/ gender, or related field
- At least three years of programme or project delivery experience demonstrating sound management and organisational skills
- Proficiency in English both verbal and written. Proficiency in another international language (French or Arabic) is an advantage
- Strong commitment to/interest in women’s rights, gender equality and/human rights and policy advocacy
- Demonstrable experience managing partnerships, networks and/or programme networks in the development sector is essential
- Solid diverse stakeholder/actor engagement and management skills
- Skilled in online tools and platforms such as GoogleSuite and Zoom for effective virtual coordination
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the highest level of attention to detail.
- Proactive, self-motivated and capable of working unsupervised
- Strong interpersonal skills and proven track record of communicating complex issues to diverse audiences that can be applied to communicating and engaging with colleagues and external audiences from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
How to Apply
To submit your application, please send the following documents to [email protected]
- CV (not more than two pages)
- Cover letter (not more than a page)
The closing date for applications is September 1st 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
[1] GCEFL is led by a Coordinating Committee of eight leading women’s rights, human rights and faith-based organisations – Equality Now, Act Church of Sweden, Latin America and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights (CLADEM), Musawah, Muslims for Progressive Values, Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) represented by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Women’s Learning Partnership, and UN Women.
[2] UN Joint High Level Segment Statement By Global Campaign Regarding Equality In Family Law: https://www.equalitynow.org/resource/hlpfstatement_familylaw_2020/