Mission and objectivesUNICEF works in the worldโs toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents โ and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. The worldโs largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation. Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending childrenโs rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.
ContextActivity description: 1. SBC Network Calls The UNICEF WCARO SBC team is looking for online volunteers to help us interpret our monthly Social and Behavior Change (SBC) network calls from French to English and from English to French. These online meetings bring together colleagues from the 24 SBC teams working in the 24 UNICEF country offices in the West and Central Africa region. Between September and November 2024, the SBC team experienced bilingual online meetings bringing together participants from West and Central Africa, French-speaking and English-speaking countries. We used Zoom's 'live interpretation' function, thanks to recruiting a pool of UN Volunteers to provide live interpretation services in French and English. This formula proved more successful than the separate meetings with English-speaking and French-speaking countries we had held before. These SBC network online meetings aim to create a safe space for sharing ideas and experiences between colleagues in the country offices and with those in the regional office. The SBC Regional team invites 24 Countries to present on a rotating basis. Online meetings are integral to the WCAR SBC team's Institutional and capacities-strengthening system, which supports institutionalizing SBC in the WCAR region. The SBC network's online meetings usually last one hour. They all follow the same thread with different segments. They include bilingual PPTs presenting the main contents prepared with the country offices before the meeting. The dialogue between hosts and participants can take different interactive forms: interview, presentation followed by Q/A, and quiz. According to SBC internal practices, we plan meetings two weeks before to give enough time for participants, including interpreters, to get ready. 2. Other types of SBC meetings In addition to interpreting the SBC network calls (two, one in May and one in July 2025), the SBC will offer online volunteers the option to intervene in Social Change Discovery cafรฉs (two, one in May and one in August 2025), Accountability to Affected Populations Community of Practice gatherings (3) and Experiment to Innovate sessions (4). These online events aim to strengthen country office colleagues' capacity on specific technical topics and exchange experiences, challenges, and lessons learned with a strong focus on data use.
Task DescriptionThe Online Volunteers will provide remote simultaneous interpretation from French into English and from English to French in bilingual network meetings organized by the UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) Social and Behavior Change (SBC) team between May and August 2025.
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