National Project Coordinator–Safe Future

Expression Of Interest

National Project Coordinator – Safe Future Project

With Plan International in Laos

Plan has been working in Laos since 2007, and is delivering programs in Bokeo, Oudomxay and Saravan Provinces.  We support children to access their rights through our programming in Public Heath (including water and sanitation), Education, and Gender Equality and Protection. Our work includes community based action, partner strengthening, and policy advocacy. Disaster risk reduction is integrated in all the work we do, and Plan is committed to providing disaster response support in case of humanitarian disaster.

Migration is crucial for Lao PDR’s poverty reduction and socioeconomic development, especially in rural areas. Lao PDR is a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants. Over the past two decades, the number of Lao people living abroad has significantly increased due to limited employment opportunities and underdeveloped education and training systems, combined with the demand for cheap labour and the need for better livelihoods.

In the migration experience adolescents and their parents are unaware of the high likelihood of trafficking and exploitation and may not easily be able to differentiate between dangerous and high risk offers compared to safe prospects, including migration for work. Without access to information of the hazards, risks, harsh conditions and sexual exploitation that is possible in offers made to them, it is difficult for adolescents and their parents to adequately weigh up the risks against the benefits before taking up offers, whether for employment, marriage or migration in general. Combined with high levels of poverty and low employment opportunities parents and adolescents are easily lured with promises of a better future.

While the Government of Laos has put anti-trafficking policies in place and prevention efforts have been made, these have not considered the lived realities of young people, nor have young people had any opportunities to lend their voices in developing these policies despite being the most affected.

The Safe Future project will seek to go beyond awareness raising to empower and encourage adolescents to think through the risks and advantages before taking up any offers related to migration, employment or marriage.

Project objective:  To coordinate at national, provincial, and local levels in close collaboration with the project team and CSO partners to empower adolescents to make safer, informed decisions—reducing their vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation, and limiting the flow of youth into unsafe migration pathways.

The intervention: The Safe Future project aims to build on the foundation of existing interventions and tools by identifying gaps and enhancing them with youth-focused strategies and materials. We will leverage real stories and survivor experiences to drive mindset change and empower adolescents to make informed decisions related to their future whether it be in relation to marriage, safe migration pathways or other life decisions.

The Safe Future project is an add-on to the current My Future 2 project and will work with the same target groups- adolescents between the ages of 11 to 14, their parents and teachers so as to provide them with information and strategies to avoid and/or deal with precarious, dangerous and exploitive offers and situations. Linking both projects allows for greater outcomes for adolescents in remote provinces in Laos.

For adolescents, their parents and teachers to understand the hazards of migration, and be in a more informed position to make decisions, suitable, engaging and factual information needs to be available in formats that are relevant and understandable to them. It is anticipated that all material produced by the Technical Adviser will challenge adolescents, teachers and parents to think through the risks, and arrive at decisions that are not harmful to child development in the long-term.

Project staff will conduct community-based sessions and distribute targeted Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials on how to identify and mitigate risks for exploitation or trafficking and on safe migration practices. Where material is already available, and with permission, the content will be adjusted for a more youth friendly narrative. Real-life stories and survivor testimonials will be used to communicate the risks and consequences of irregular migration and trafficking. These stories will help adolescents and their parents understand the realities of what they might be signing up for, fostering a mindset change. Peer support networks will be established, encouraging young people to reach out for low threshold help when in doubt.

Additional materials will include case stories depicting how young people are targeted and entrapped by traffickers, both in person and via social media, and information on support services available for survivors and possible victims of trafficking. These sessions will be delivered through existing secondary school student clubs, out-of-school youth clubs, and parent groups established by the My Future project in target villages and schools, with a special focus on highland non-Lao Tai communities vulnerable to labor exploitation and human trafficking.

The target group will be adolescents within the existing “My Future 2” project in 45 villages in 3 districts (Pakhta, Pakbeng and Houn) in Bokeo and Oudomxay provinces.

Accountability:

1. Project Planning and Coordination

• Assist the Project Manager in working with NPA partners, ensuring communications with NPA partners are timely, coordinated, and coherent.
• Participate in provincial and national coordination meetings and other relevant meetings with the NPA network assigned by the Project Manager and Adolescent Program Manager.
• Work with the project team members and DESB officials to develop a monthly work plan and budget related to training plans (NPA) and Student-Club activities;
• Work with schools, communities, CSO, and DESB to identify training needs to ensure that trainings are designed to fit the specific needs of the target groups.
• Develop strong professional relationships with CSO and District government staff, while embracing a strong team approach in implementing the program activities;
• Coordinate with other Plan Laos staff in the district/province and other offices

2. Capacity Building and Staff Management

• Provide induction and refresher training to new and current staff in the team in coordination with the Safeguarding Training Coordinator, Gender Advisor, and MEL Coordinator, as required.
• Organize, deliver, and/or coordinate capacity-building activities in accordance with NPA partners’ capacity development plans for their staff.
• Organize, deliver, and/or coordinate capacity-building activities to support government partners.
• Introduce the cross-cutting principles (gender, inclusion, sexual health and reproductive rights, child rights, child participation and partnership) to non-program staff (government partners, consultants, contractors) and ensure they understand relevance to their work, in coordination with Safeguarding and Child Protection and Gender Advisor.
• Coordinate with grants, finance, and program staff to conduct initial and periodic capacity assessments for NPA partners in organizational governance, project management, and relevant technical areas.
• Support NPA partners to develop and implement action plans based on the capacity assessment in coordination with relevant Plan staff and by linking them to external sources of support.
• Organize an orientation with new partners to ensure they understand Plan and its work in Laos, and Plan’s policies and guidelines on gender equality, child protection, and partnership.

3. Technical Support

• Assist the Project Managers in identifying and expanding partnership opportunities with NPAs in the project.
• Identify good practices and lessons learnt on various aspects of Adolescent SRHR, and facilitate shared learning on SRHR, gender equality, and inclusion across the project.
• Support the project initiatives in ‘out of the box’ thinking in developing resources and training methods, in results-based management, disability inclusion, and resilience.
• Monitor performance of NPA’s sub-grant projects against the agreed objectives. In particular, monitor the quality of their engagement with children, communities, and government counterparts.
• Provide ongoing feedback and practical recommendations to NPA partners based on monitoring, and follow up on areas of improvement, including the use of digital data collection tools.
• Provide technical support and advice to NPA partners on child rights, participation, protection, gender equality, and inclusion, to improve the quality of their work.

4. Grant/Sub-grant management

• Support the Project Manager to lead the implementation of the project, including FAD and grant compliance, and on-time implementation of the activities.
• Assist NPA partners in operationalizing M&E frameworks, implementation plans, and budgets in line with the donor-approved project designs.
• Regularly review quarterly narrative and financial reports from NPA partners to ensure progress and compliance. Ensure timely disbursement of funds to NPA partners in coordination with grants and finance departments.
• Regularly review the activity Plan and submit monthly cash forecasts for activities directly implemented by Plan International.
• Raise compliance issues and/or need for modifications in the donor-approved project designs with the line manager in a timely manner.

5. Administrative/Finance

• Handle required cash advances/Monthly Cash Forecast according to Plan Finance policies as well as expenditure reports to clear these advances with transparency.
• Facilitate field visits for donors and other Plan staff as may be required;
• Ensure that child protection measures are in place and followed in all dimensions of the work;
• Undertake all other tasks as may be required.

Timing of inputs: 

This position will be full -time working day (8 hours/day) from May-December 2025.

The National Project Coordinator will be based in Vientiane, with frequently travel to support field works in two provinces Bokeo and Oudomxay.

The expect starting date by mid of May 2025 or as soon as possible.

Application:

Interested applicants are asked to explain clearly how they meet the skills and experience required, attach a current CV with 2 referees with expected service fee.

The application should be submitted no later than May 7, 2025 to Laos.procurement@plan-international.org with CC to Keota.Khounphon@plan-international.org including all supporting documents with subject line “National Project Coordinator-My Future project”

Any questions regarding the details of the advertised role can be sent to Bounpheng Thammavong, Project Manager (Programs) at Bounpheng.Thammavong@plan-international.org

We strongly encourage equally qualified female candidates to apply!

All applications received after the time of the deadline will not be accepted without exception and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Shortlisted applicants may be requested to participate in an in-person or online interview process.