HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ZAMBIA

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA RELATIONS INTERN

TERMS OF REFERENCE

BACKGROUND

Habitat for Humanity has worked in Zambia since 1984, partnering with low-income families on affordable housing solutions in informal settlements. Habitat started as a rural housing program in Zambia. But because of the high urbanization rate — at almost 4% per year, one of the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa — and the magnitude of challenges in urban areas, we have shifted our strategy to focus on barriers to decent housing in the informal settlements that are now home to 70% of the country’s urban population. Our major sectors of programming include housing and slum upgrading, land tenure security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), financial literacy for housing, disaster response and preparedness, and housing microfinance. Since inception, we have worked with families to build more than 4,000 homes, but our programs fully integrate solutions related to areas such as land tenure security and WASH to promote sustainable and resilient communities in line with the national development plans and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Communication and Media Relations Intern will support department needs in delivering appropriate messaging with quality, creativity and professionalism to depict consistency aligned with HFH branding for staff and partner/donor consumption. Key to this position is the ability to multitask various projects at once and a high capacity for working independently and taking the initiative.

SPECIFIC TASKS

The Communication and Media Relations Intern roles and responsibilities are:

• Contribute to the development of HFHZ communications plan including key promotional messages in consultation with the project team for annual, on-going and once off activities as per HFHI guidelines.
• Provide all Public Relations support and media handling during all HFHZ major events;
• Lead in the development of HFHZ publications and IEC materials – business cards, brochures, newsletters, reports and the annual report of the organization
• Prepare event press packs for media personnel (speeches, press releases, beneficiary profiles) and responses to media enquiries;
• Assist in the preparation of key Advocacy and Policy messages for publication (physical and online);
• Draft case studies and relevant project documents and suggest recommendations on varied issues
• Create opportunities for free media coverage for HFHZ (electronic and print) through discussions, press releases, features and articles.
• Proactively contribute to the development of new content and materials for the websites and social media platforms
• Market HFHZ on social media through creative postings and appeals in line with HFHI Guidelines;
• Prepare presentations in accordance with branding guidelines, support admin with information folders for meetings and conferences.
• Prepare press packs for media and folders for key dignitaries at local events
• To support the implementation of media communication outputs, including drafting Press releases, speeches, news articles, quarterly features, website, brochures, video, radio and television programs.
• Write thank you and recognition letters (e-updates), cards and informational materials to all donors, donor file and donor database to ensure the sustainability and continuity of RDC efforts.
• To support with media features in line with resounding NO and/or global themes, develop scripts and briefs to be used by spokespersons of the organisation as they interact with the media
• To update and maintain a media diary regularly, contribute to effective media relations and ensuring maximum editorial exposure in national, regional and local media

TIME SCHEDULE

The Communication and Media Relations Intern will be required to work for a period of 30 days.

REPORTING

The Communication and Media Relations Intern will be reporting to the Acting Donor and Media Relations Officer with overall supervision of the Resource Development and Communications Manager.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Mass Communications, or any relevant field.
• Diploma in similar fields as above with minimum 5 years related work experience
• Overall,  1 year plus work experience in communications, marketing, PR  an added advantage
• Demonstrated ability to work in a not-for-profit environment.
• Demonstrated ability to produce professionally written, quality materials for a range of audiences.
• Excellent communication and writing skills with the ability to write English language fluently.
• Demonstrated ability to design, manage, implement and evaluate fundraising appeals or campaigns for an NGO;
• Effective computer skills, in particular in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Desktop Publishing
• Experienced in the creation and/or design of visual media/communications materials (print, digital, etc.);
• Proficiency with PC based software programs (Word, Excel, Publisher), office technologies, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google suite, Flickr, Picasa);
• English language fluency; and other Zambia languages like Nyanja and Bemba critical,
• A Clean Driving Licence

Safeguarding: HFHZ requires that all employees, interns and volunteers take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work.  Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.