Cultural mediator (m/f/x)

Profile
Education	Essential secondary education. Desirable degree in social science, social communication or teaching. Training in interpretation or intercultural mediation is an asset.
Experience     Languages     Competencies	Minimum two years’ experience in similar position, preferably with NGOs Previous experience in migration/refugee contexts   Essential: Amharic and Tigrinya Essential: French or English Desirable: Arabic   Commitment to MSF’s Principles Cross-cultural awareness Behavioural flexibility Stress management Service orientation Teamwork and cooperation

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. We work in over 60 countries, offering assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. The MSF Belgian mission is looking for an:

Cultural mediator (m/f/x)

The Belgian mission is currently working on the Brussels Migration project where several Belgian NGOs and civil society actors have joined forces and provide a range of humanitarian services in a joint project, the Humanitarian Hub, which aims to provide a comprehensive response to the needs of migrants and refugees in transit. The hub offers various services, including mental health care provided by Médecins Sans Frontières. A second line service has been created to provide this psychological follow-up and thus increase our mental health care offer and respond to the needs observed.

In view of the growing needs, the Belgian MSF mission is implementing an emergency intervention for Unaccompanied Minors (UNAM) since October 2021.

The Belgian Mission is looking for two cultural mediators to reinforce the teams of the UNAM project as well as the Brussels Migration project. The cultural mediator is the bridge between MSF and the beneficiaries. S/He has the aim to improve the quality of services offered fostering the removal of linguistic and cultural barriers and improve the access to mental health care and other services if needed.

	Main purpose
Supporting the communication and interaction between beneficiaries and MSF team, through addressing consequences of language barriers, socio-cultural differences and discrimination, following MSF protocols and procedures, to improve access to quality health care and other relevant services and providing MSF with an understanding of local socio-cultural determinants.

Accountabilities

Facilitating the relation between beneficiaries, MSF team and other actors, etc. through: Providing quality and culturally sensitive interpretation between the team and the beneficiary (trialogue) in his/her mother tongue (source language / target language), supporting intercultural awareness, sensitiveness and clear communication between the parties Ensure confidentiality and medical/psychological secrecy. Reporting specific needs and demands of the beneficiaries Assisting MSF team and beneficiaries in addressing consequences of socio-cultural differences, to support the therapeutic/social intervention through sharing with the team relevant aspects of the cultural background of the beneficiary, acting as a cultural broker; identifying and reporting barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services. Accompanying and following up beneficiaries to referrals (health and social care facilities) as needed. Participating in case management meetings & medical meetings Participation in recreational activities during day, evening and weekends on a shift base (UNAM project only) Raise awareness and promote mental health services among beneficiaries using the available tools and information transmitted by the supervisor Apply proactively Psychological First Aid when encountering the beneficiaries in distress and refer to the MHAM. Support the creation of Health promotion materials in collaboration with the mental health team. Together with relevant project team members, providing information to beneficiaries on the use of the health care system and other support services (shelter, food, transport, legal support) provided by MSF and other actors, Contributing to context understanding and data collection on medical/humanitarian issues, with a specific attention to vulnerabilities, to provide reliable information for operational decision-making through: Collect testimonies and carry out patient survey, if requested by your supervisor. Ensuring quality linguistic and intercultural interpretation during the collection of testimonies for advocacy/ communication purposes. Reporting all important information expressed by the beneficiaries, ensuring confidentiality at all times

CONDITIONS

• 1-month contract (duration of the contract may vary depending on the project) - Full time - extendable
• Expected starting date: As soon as possible.
• Location: Brussels, Belgium
• 100% reimbursement of public transport costs
• A dynamic and stimulating work environment alongside multicultural colleagues.

Deadline Application: 5 December 2021

CV and motivation letter with “Cultural mediator” in the subject line to be send to: Msfocb-belgium-HRFIN@brussels.msf.org. Please name you application documents with your LAST NAME.  We thank all those who apply. Please note that due to the volume of applications, only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted further.

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