Saturday, February 15, 2014

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally


Many existing international early childhood organizations really impress me for what they have done and are doing to foster the wellbeing of children, families, and the early childhood field.  Among these organizations, three of them appealed to me the most:

1.     Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org).  Its mission is to create a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation (Save the Children, 2011).  I chose this organization because it resonates with me, as it is a non-governmental organization that promotes children’s rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.  My country, one of the developing countries, needs such an organization to improve the lives of children through better education and health care.  At the moment, Safe the Children has no job vacancy for my region here, but I can serve as a volunteer by being a fundraiser or spreading Save the Children message through social networks.

2.     United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org).  Formed on December 11, 1946, headquartered in New York, it provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.  I really appreciate what UNICEF has done for the communities of children and families all over the world.  It deserves my salute and tribute.  Currently, UNICEF offers a job opportunity in my region with a position as a Chief Education.  This interests me as it offers opportunities to work in partnership with government and a range of development partners providing leadership and strategic direction to the education sector reform process to deliver quality and equitable results for children (UNICEF, 2011).  However, I need to increase my skills and experience as the job seeks for at least ten years of relevant work experience at national and international levels in field programs relevant to Education programs.

3.     International Step by Step Association (ISSA, http//:www.issa.nl).  Established in 1999, ISSA is a membership organization that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development and education (ISSA, n.d.).  I liked this organization as it promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives. At present, there is no job opportunity available in ISSA, but it invites individual practitioners to become Friends of ISSA that dedicated to exploring and improving quality, equity, and access in early childhood education and care through innovative initiatives and partnership projects.

References:
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/


3 comments:

  1. Hello Wong,
    Interestingly, I also selected Save the Children and UNICEF. Like you, I also have to increase my skills and experience as a lot of the jobs listed required prior experience in the area of education. Becoming a partner with Government in providing leadership and strategic development is a very important post as you can use your experience in your Master's program to make a direct impact on the education system in your country.

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  2. Hi Wong,
    The ISSA site was interesting and I had not heard of it before. The organization appears to do a lot for the well-being of children and families. I was pleased to see the emphasis that was placed on development and training for educators. I had not heard of the organization before. That is great that UNICEF has a job opportunity in your region. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Hi Wong, I enjoyed reading your post. I especially like the photo of the children with the words rewrite the future. It is so true that children have the potential to do this if we give them the supports they need now in life.
    I also found that there were either positions that were not really related to my area or that required much more experience in areas that I did not have. I was also a bit surprised that one even had a preference for under the age of 35.
    It is very inspiring to read the intent and focus of these organizations and to see how widespread the support for them is. Cindy Ferguson

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