VSLA Assistant at Chabash Development and Health Initiative

Location: Jakusko, Yobe State
Reports to: Business Development Officer
Supervises: Project Support Staff/Facilitators

Job Summary:

The VSLA (Village Savings and Loan Association) Assistant supports the day-to-day community mobilization, group formation, financial literacy training, and operational monitoring of savings groups under the WFP-supported Integrated Food System and Resilience Project implemented by Chabash Development and Health Initiative (CDHI) in Jakusko LGA, Yobe State. Working under the supervision of the Business Development Officer, the Assistant works directly with rural women, youth, and smallholder farmers to establish and strengthen self-managed VSLAs. The position promotes financial inclusion, micro-investment, and household economic resilience by delivering practical training in savings, credit management, record-keeping, and group governance across project communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Group Formation & Community Mobilization: Assist in mobilizing community members, particularly women, adolescent girls, and vulnerable households, to form, structure, and register functional Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).
• VSLA Training & Methodology Delivery: Facilitate step-by-step training modules for VSLA members on group constitution development, leadership election, savings procedures, loan management, share-outs, and basic record-keeping.
• Group Monitoring & Technical Support: Conduct regular field visits to VSLA group meetings to observe saving cycles, review passbooks and ledger entries, ensure adherence to group constitutions, and resolve operational issues.
• Financial Literacy & Business Skills Support: Deliver basic training modules on household financial planning, micro-enterprise management, debt management, and reinvestment of savings into agricultural and small business initiatives.
• Linkage to Economic Interventions: Assist in linking mature VSLA groups to post-harvest hubs, agro-processing units, market opportunities, and formal/informal financial service providers.
• Field Data Collection & Progress Tracking: Track and record monthly group performance data (including total savings accumulated, loans issued, repayment rates, and share-out figures) using standard data collection tools and submit timely field updates to the Business Development Officer.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) in Agribusiness, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of hands-on field experience forming, training, and monitoring Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), SILC, or micro-finance self-help groups, preferably in humanitarian or resilience projects in Northeast Nigeria.
• Methodology Expertise: Strong practical understanding of the standard VSLA methodology, group governance, passbook system, and financial record-keeping.
• Community Engagement: Proven ability to mobilize and work effectively with rural women, smallholder farming families, and youth groups.
• Language Skills: Professional working proficiency in English and strong fluency in Hausa (knowledge of additional local languages spoken in Yobe State is an asset).

Core Competencies

• Excellent community facilitation, coaching, and interpersonal communication skills tailored to low-literacy audiences.
• Strong numerical ability, attention to detail, and accuracy in monitoring financial ledgers and passbooks.
• Practical understanding of rural financial inclusion dynamics and micro-enterprise development in fragile settings.
• Basic computer literacy, including experience using mobile data collection tools (e.g., KoboToolbox) and Microsoft Excel.
• High level of personal integrity, reliability, and team-oriented problem-solving skills.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

• Strictly adhere to CDHI and WFP zero-tolerance policies regarding sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment across all community and VSLA activities.
• Routinely inform all VSLA members that participation in savings groups, receipt of kits/passbooks, training, and project support are completely free of charge and must never be exchanged for favors or sexual acts.
• Ensure group meeting locations and schedules are safe, accessible, and protective of women and adolescent girls, preventing economic exploitation or physical risk.
• Promote full awareness among savings group members regarding confidential feedback and complaint mechanisms (CRM/PSEA hotlines) to safely report any cases of harassment or misconduct.

Compliance & Ethics

• Adhere strictly to core humanitarian principles, Do-No-Harm frameworks, and WFP Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) guidelines.
• Guarantee complete honesty, transparency, and non-favoritism during group formation, kit distribution, and financial monitoring.
• Show deep respect for local cultural values, traditional leadership structures, and community dynamics throughout all field operations.

Comply fully with CDHI organizational policies concerning Code of Conduct, Anti-Fraud/Anti-Corruption, Child Safeguarding, and Conflict of Interest.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply.