Country: Israel
Closing date: 01 Mar 2016
The African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) is a grassroots, community-based, non-profit organization that was founded in 2004 by African asylum seekers and Israeli citizens, in order to assist, protect and empower 55,000 African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel. To date, the ARDC has served over 10,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Eritrea, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and the Ivory Coast.
The Asylum Application Assistance (AAA) project is one of the main projects of ARDC and aims to safeguard the rights of African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel from harmful and unfair policies, which violate international law, through individual casework management. The AAA project manages cases of individuals looking for assistance with identity issues, obtaining visas, applying for asylum and/or relocation. Through community outreach activities, the project also provides information and training for community members on how to navigate the refugee status determination process and/or find durable solutions for life outside of Israel.
Refugee Status Determination is the procedure that determines whether those seeking asylum fall within the definition of a refugee in need of protection in accordance with international law. The process requires an asylum seeker to submit a written explanation for his or her application, followed by an in-depth interview, research into the conditions of his or her country of origin and a decision as to whether that person meets the legal criteria for refugee status. ARDC assists applicants through every phase of this difficult process. Please note we are a paralegal organization, not a legal organization. We help the asylum seekers with their procedures at the Ministry of Interior, but we do not have any lawyers at the ARDC.
As a Community Outreach Liaison Office, you will coordinate a team of caseworkers in conducting interviews for Refugee Status Determination (RSD) and complete forms at Community Centers in TLV and around the country, while informing the asylum seekers on their rights and the refugee status determination process in Israel.
Main Responsibilities
- Supervise a team of community outreach volunteers in registering and interviewing clients
- Lead trainings in the community
- Write applications based on the interviews and reviews them based on international and Israeli law
- Participate in community contact and interactions
- Refer clients to other organizations and structures
- Participate in advocacy and data collection for the Asylum Application Assistance team
- Lead weekly team meetings
Qualifications:
- Fluent in spoken and written English; other language experience is helpful. Hebrew is an advantage.
- Reliable, able to work independently, creative, flexible, positive.
- Committed to the improvement of the asylum seekers' situation in Israel
- Able to work at least 2-3 evenings a month
- Able to travel throughout the country
22 weeks
Time Commitment 30 hours a week, days and hours flexible
Please note start dates are not flexible.
Reports to: Project Manager
Please note all ARDC internship positions are unpaid. We do not provide accommodation, travel or health insurance.
How to apply:
Please fill in the application form (available at this link) and send with your CV to volunteer@ardc-israel.org . Please save your documents as PDF and label as follows:
CV - First name, Surname CV (e.g. John Smith CV)
Application Form - First name, Surname Form (e.g. John Smith Form)