Advocacy Officer_PWID (uMgungundlovu) at TB HIV Care

Purpose of the position:

•  The Human Rights Advocacy Officer is responsible for promoting, protecting, and advancing the human rights of key populations—specifically PWID individuals—within HIV, public health, and community justice programs. The role involves leading advocacy initiatives, strengthening community empowerment, monitoring rights violations, and engaging government, civil society, and health stakeholders to ensure equitable access to services, legal protections, and non-discriminatory environments.The Advocacy Officer will also be responsible for supporting the advocacy and engagement of stakeholders and players in the district of programme implementation. He/She will manage the engagement of stakeholders, advocacy within the district, sensitisation trainings, human rights defenders and the respective reporting on these issues.

Minimum Requirements    
Education

• Matric Certificate or Equivalent

Advantageous

• Any post-matric certifications in social work, community work or advocacy and communication will be advantageous
• Driver’s license (Code B)

Work Experience

• Minimum 2 years’ experience in advocacy/human rights or programming in the public health or HIV field.
• Experience in conducting trainings and workshops.
• Experience in community-based advocacy and community sensitization for PLHIV and/or key and vulnerable populations.
• Experience in identifying and engaging with community stakeholders
• Demonstrable facilitation skills
• Report-writing skills 
• Planning and organisational skills 
• Good Communication Skills 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Non-judgmental, trustworthy and empathetic personality
• Demonstrate strong professional attitude and behaviour at all times
• Ability to travel when required
• Experience in working with KVPs and/or harm reduction and people who use drugs programming beneficial

Duties and Responsibilities    

• Apply risk and harm reduction principles in advocacy work.
• Advocate for the rights and needs of MSM.
• Working with the programme team, play a key role in the networking and engagement with communities, district stakeholders such as the DoH, PCA and DAC, SAPS and DSD.
• Participate in meetings with programme team to discuss progress and address challenges to continuously improve engagement, advocacy and ensure seamless implementation.
• Identifyservice  gabs for people who injects with drugs PWID), Men who have sex with men (MSM) and Trandgender persons  (TGP) and collaborate with the programme team to develop stratergies that addresses the gaps and incorparate them into advocacy plan.
• Working with the programme team, ensure the implementation of the operational plan.
• Represent the programme with integrity at meetings and engagements and respond to all programme requests from external parties.
• Conduct sensitisation workshops to stakeholders per quarter
• Attend the human rights defenders training of the trainers
• Support and monitor the collection of human rights violations per peer educators.
• Along with the programme team and peer educators, identify stakeholders in district to engage in sensitisation workshops.
• Conduct sensitisation workshops to stakeholders per quarter
• Support peer educators in completing the human rights tools correctly and accurately.
• Verify reports from peer educators on human rights violations.
• If applicable, write reports.
• Attend meetings, briefings, debriefing, staff meetings and other as directed to do so on a regular basis.
• Additional responsibilities delegated by managers from time to time.
• Represent the organisation with professionalism
• Act as a role model to strengthen positive behaviour change of PWID and peer educators.
• Any other duties as assigned by the Project Coordinator
• Support Peer educators in identifying in identifying MSM,TGP and PWID in further psycho social support . 

Skills and Competencies    

• Good communication skills
• Coordination skills
• Liaison skills
• Networking
• Problem-solving skills
• Knowledge management
• Planning and organising