FOREWORD Smile Woman of Africa is a Community Based Organization (CBO) herein referred to as Smile is based in Busia County, its main objective is; to alleviate poverty and improve the welfare of needy and vulnerable members of the society. We are focused on programs around Gender issues, HIV/AIDS, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Persons with Disabilities (PWDS), Food Security and Nutrition, Climate Change, Adaptation and Mitigation. We work towards strengthening their capacity for effective participation in governance, economic enablement and social development, to facilitate acquisition of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to women and youths for effective involvement in livelihood projects. VISION

• To alleviate poverty and improve the welfare of needy and vulnerable members of the society.
• MISSION
• Offering services to members of the community by improving their social and economic status to achieve self-sustainability(correct)
• (Add core values and motto)

HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY AND OTHER GUIDELINES AND CODES FOR MEMBERS OF STAFF Introduction to the HR Policy and General Procedures

1. HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY AND GENERAL PROCEDURES

Smile considers its members of staff to be its most important asset. The attitude taken by the personnel working for Smile is fundamental to achieving its mission. The people who work for Smile are respected and valued, and appropriately received. The effectiveness and success of development initiatives and humanitarian aid are dependent on the contribution of every staff member – regardless of whether they are an employee, a collaborator, an intern or a volunteer. For this reason, Smile has been working towards ensuring that its Policies and procedures enable the full application of international standards of efficiency and transparency in the management of its human resources. This commitment resulted to recognition of community empowerment programs which saw the Executive Director receive a head of state Commendation HSC award in the year 2020’s hero’s day celebration. The primary objective is always that of guaranteeing that the communities are empowered through skill development and trainings in various fields. To ensure women youths and people with disabilities receive the assistance they need from competent and adequately managed employees and volunteers. The policies and practices in the management of human resources summarized in the following principles form a single set of guidelines that organically protect and promote human resources as an integral and fundamental part Smile’s Mission. Principle One: Human Resources Strategy Human resources are an integral part of our operational and strategic plans. Our human resources strategy, whether applied to expatriates or local staff, is at the core of our organizational strategy; it is long term and encompasses all the different components of the organization. Our policies guarantee the effectiveness of our actions, the quality of life in the workplace and high ethical standards. The well-being of our staff, understood as a condition for professional and personal satisfaction, is an integral part of our human resources strategy. Principle Two: Staff policies and practices Our human resources policies aim to be effective, coherent, fair, nondiscriminatory and transparent. Our policies guarantee effective actions, a good quality of life in the workplace and strong ethical standards; they go above and beyond simple compliance with the minimum legal and working requirements and meet the expectations of both donors and beneficiaries. International labor protection standards are both recognized and accepted. Principle Three: Staff management Effective support, management and staff development is fundamental for the effectiveness of the Organization as a whole. Smile staff members, whatever type of contract they have with the Organization, have the right to be properly prepared to conduct their job effectively, so that Smile can achieve its own Mission. The management policies, procedures and training offered by the Organization enable managers to prepare and support their staff in efficiently carrying out their activities efficiently, developing their potential and encouraging and recognizing good performance, which will subsequently be evaluated in terms of responsibility and merit. Principle Four: Consultation and communication Dialogue with staff about issues that may affect their work enhances the quality and effectiveness of the organization’s policies and practices. This kind of dialogue is strongly encouraged. We recognize that the effective development, implementation and monitoring of policies and practices in human resources rely on appropriate consultation and communication with the people who work with us. We aim to include all members of staff in these processes, whether they be employees, collaborators, interns, expatriate or local staff. Principle Five: Selection and start of collaboration Our personnel management policies and practices aim to attract and select the greatest number of candidates with the profiles, skills and competences best suited to meet our needs. Our selection process and collaboration methods require us to inform candidates about the nature of our organization. Staff selection methods and the way a collaboration begins have a major influence on the degree of effectiveness with which our objectives are met. Principle Six: Learning, training and development Learning, training and staff development are promoted throughout the entire organization. We recognize the importance of supporting staff through acquiring, reinforcing and employing the personal, technical and managerial skills they need to effectively carry out their jobs. We therefore propose and direct our staff towards appropriate opportunities for training, development and learning, both professionally and personally. Our aim is to instill a culture of continuous learning in the organization, so that members of staff and the company can develop together Principle Seven: Health, safety and security The security, health, well-being and safety of our staff are a fundamental responsibility of our organization.

• We recognize that the work of an organization that intervenes in emergency and development situations often imposes enormous pressure on its staff, who find themselves operating in complex and risky conditions. It is our responsibility to guarantee the physical and emotional well-being of our staff before, during and after completing a mission with Smile. The well-being of our operators is a vital element of our interventions. Our entire Human Resources policy revolves around ensuring this well-being, a fundamental aspect of which is to guarantee the safety, health and security of our members of staff. Our co-operation all around the world in situations of hardship, poverty, disease, calamity and conflict means that we understand how important the relationships we establish with the communities where we operate are. Our staff members are the prime protagonists in forming these relationships. Safety, security and satisfaction, together with a positive work atmosphere, are key factors for the success of our international human aid cooperations. Consideration of the potential risks run by our expatriate and local staff forms part of the guiding criteria for our assessment of whether or not to open a field office in a risky area.

3. SELECTION AND START OF COLLABORATION

Recruitment & Selection Our personnel management policies and practices aim to attract and select the greatest number of candidates with the profiles, skills and competences best suited to meet our needs. Core principles:

1. The humanitarian imperative comes first.
2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone.
3. Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.
4. We shall endeavor not to act as instruments of government foreign policy.
5. We shall respect culture and custom. 6. We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities.
6. Ways shall be found to involve program beneficiaries in the management of relief aid.
7. Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster as well as meeting basic needs.
8. We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources.
9. In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognize disaster victims as dignified human beings, not hopeless objects.

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PROCESS The Recruitment & Selection process is based on the operations and tools used by Smile to look for and select members of staff to collaborate with the Organization. Depending on the type of employee required, the different operational units of the central head office and managers in the field are involved in the recruitment process, both in the early stage of defining the profile and in the final selection of the candidate. Functions involved and objectives Recruiting manager: presides over and ensures compliance with the process. Requestor: instructs the HR department to begin the search for a candidate once authorization has been given by the direct line manager, and takes the final decision about the new employee. Smile experts (Sectorial) and external consultants: take part in interviews as deemed necessary. Operational criteria Operational criteria In order to guarantee the implementation of its principles, Smile observes the following criteria: 1. All open positions are published on the Organization’s website www.cesvi.org and remain there for the period of time established by the requesting officer or Recruiting manager, and for no less than 7 days.

2. All open positions are also published in the public noticeboard, our facebook page, Whatssap groups, etc).
3. Open positions can be published by the HR department on the intranet or shared via internal newsletters or by email.
4. All open positions refer to any qualified candidate; however, it should be noted that Smile favors the continuity of continuing existing collaborations and rewarding staff loyalty, and will therefore have a tendency to extend service with staff already known, recruited and previously trained.
5. A preliminary selection of candidates will be carried out by the Recruiting officer.
6. All candidates who pass this first stage will be invited for one or more interviews with one or more different recruiting offices, including the Recruiting manager, Area desk officer, Head of Mission, Country/Regional Manager, Duties managers and experts (Sectorial). The interviewers will provide a formal written assessment.
7. In order for the interviewers to assess the suitability of the professional profile for the open position: a). each candidate shall receive a complete Job Description, either by telephone or at a personal interview. If the job is to be based abroad, information on the Smile mission in the country of employment and the activities foreseen by the project shall be provided. B). the requisites required for the job shall be those actually necessary for the position. Should it be impossible to update the job advertisement, any changes shall be communicated during the interview.
8. Financial retribution shall be calculated in compliance with salary policies and according to: · Role (autonomy and responsibility) · Experience and skills acquired · Available budget. In the case of expatriate staff, the following shall also be taken into consideration: · Security risk in the relevant country · Conditions of greater or less hardship in the country where the mission will take place.
9. Interviewing staff shall be trained in order to ensure compliance with the organization’s R&S policies and prevention of any form of discrimination.

Definition of candidates’ requirements and profiles

1. New job openings

New vacancies are formalized and the profile characteristics required are defined. Profile details are gathered from information given by the requesting officer; the following elements are particularly necessary:

• Essential requirements
• Desirable requirements
• Job Description
• Conditions regarding the economic proposal (salary range) and benefits
• Information about the activities envisaged for the individual and organizational framework
• Information about Smile’s operations in the country of destination (expatriates)
• Place of work
• Date of start of collaboration.

2. Publication of advertisements

All open positions are published on the Organization’s website to guarantee transparency and equal opportunities’ criteria have been met. Feedback is given to all candidates who reach at least the first stage of selection (interview with an HR manager). “Generic” 5 candidates are invited to send in their applications for specific positions and to sign up to receive the “Job Alert” newsletter

3. CV screening

CV screening is carried out by the Recruiting manager, who will assess the coherence of the CV with the defined job search profile. A shortlist (usually 3-5 candidates) will then be chosen for a second screening to be conducted with the Requesting officer.

4. Assessment of application and initial contact

The Recruiting manager will make telephone contact with the persons selected for the previous shortlist with the objective of verifying serious interest in the job, clarifying aspects of his/her CV and setting a date for the interview

5. Management of the interviews

The Recruiting manager plans the interview times with the shortlisted candidates. Technical, linguistic and psycho-attitudinal tests may be used at this stage in order to gain further elements for assessment purposes. Consistency with the desired profile is checked during the interview and previous work experiences are examined, as well as an understanding of the person, his/her motivation and technical aspects of the collaboration. The interview ends with a presentation of the indicative time frame of the entire selection process, the start date of the collaboration and training Those involved in the recruitment shall provide a formal written assessment at the end of the interview, stating the candidate’s consistency with the desired profile and coherence with the Organization Mission’s profile. Candidates who are not successful beyond the first phase of the selection process shall receive feedback from the HR manager, usually via email.

6. Selection of the candidate

The responsibility for making the final decision on the choice of candidate lies with the Requestor, after consultation with the Recruiting manager. The decision is formalized when the reasons for the choice are reported on the Interview Assessment File. The selection criteria shall take the following factors into consideration: - consistency with the required profile - outcome of the various interviews and tests undergone. The salary offer, estimated date of the start of the collaboration and training is communicated at the same time as the confirmation of the choice of candidate. Any final negotiations regarding the economic proposal is conducted directly with the candidate and the Recruiting manager, in coordination with the Requesting officer. Whenever possible, the job offer is made orally; where this is not possible the candidate shall be sent an email containing the details of the proposal. Once the oral offer has been made to the candidate, the Recruiting manager shall formalize the proposal, by sending all the written documentation including the draft of the job contract, the Framework Agreement. Internal candidates shall initially be informed of the results of the selection orally. Following this verbal communication, he/she shall receive a written confirmation of the outcome.

7. Training & Briefing Planning

Once the offer has been accepted, the Recruiting manager and the Requesting officer shall define the Training and Briefing program at the start of the collaboration.

8. Closure and reporting of the filled position

The Recruiting manager declares the vacancy filled and retains a synthetic report of the statistics concerning the selection. Once the opening position has been filled, he/she shall archive the candidates’ documentation (including the CV or staff files) SELECTION OF INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS A simplified procedure along the lines of the one described above is carried out for interns and volunteers; in particular, the candidates are interviewed, and feedback is given to everyone at the outcome of the selection. (refer to Smile volunteers policy) START OF THE COLLABORATION The new collaborator is informed in advance of the formal steps necessary for the start of the collaboration. The Recruiting manager receives the completed personal data information from the collaborator, who is then informed about the processing of his/her personal data and receives a draft JD and contract, together with a copy of the regulatory Framework Agreement

2. TRASPARENT MANAGEMENT OF COMPLAINTS

• Introduction Smile’s goal is to allow everyone the possibility of establishing and maintaining a happy working relationship with the organization, and it is of primary importance that all members of staff feel they are treated in a fair and equitable manner. It is also true that operational stress caused by difficulties encountered in the countries where Smile acts, or even purely the normal relationship problems that can arise in the work situation may often be the source of serious problems if not promptly addressed and quickly resolved. In this kind of situation, it is important that the collaborator has the appropriate opportunities and tools to be able to be heard. Smile offers opportunities for the exchange of communication and discussion between members of staff and managers within the different Human Resources contexts. The time slots and opportunities identified for this situation (for example, debriefing, organizing a meeting with a manger, etc.) are the best suited for tackling problems and pre-empting any divergences of opinion. Should this not be possible for any reason, however, it is advisable to follow the procedure indicated below in order to guarantee every individual the possibility of drawing attention to any situations of distress, complaint or potential conflict before they become unmanageable, regardless of the type of employment contract established with Smile Furthermore, the objective is to define general procedures in order to resolve any potential differences that may arise between members of staff, or between the staff and managers.
• Inspiring principles.
• Everyone is important. Whether local employee, expatriate, consultant, etc., everyone is worthy of attention. His or her opinions have a right to be heard.
• Everyone has the right to know who to turn to in order to be heard. Every single person has the right to know who to refer to in order to state their opinions, complaints or requests.
• Everyone has the right to a reply. While precedence will be given to the most urgent requests, everyone has the right to receive a reply to their requests, available resources and operational priorities permitting. Should a reply not be possible, a reason must be provided?
• Human resources are the solution, not the problem. Any problem that is not addressed may get worse. Sharing problems, and suggesting strategies to tackle them, leads to identifying solutions more rapidly and result in everyone becoming strong

1. Precedence given to internal grievance procedures.

Anyone with a claim or grievance, or who feels he/she has been damaged during the course of their relationship or professional service with Smile, is strongly advised to find a way of resolving the conflict as quickly as possible in the following recommendations, before resorting to the procedures indicated in their employment Contract or specified in the National Framework Agreement or provided for in accordance with the civil Legislation of their Country of work.

2. Who to contact in the case of complaints or requests.

Smile staff in the field and staff working at the head office: the contact person for every Smile employee is clearly indicated in every employment contract. This is the person charged with receiving complaints, claims and requests. If it is not possible to interact with this contact person for any reason (e.g. in the event that the problem has arisen in the relationship with the same contact), the head office Heads of Department may be contacted, and he/she will manage the problem with the support of the HR office when needed. Where this may not be possible, the Human Resources department should be approached directly and they will, if deemed necessary, involve the COO and CEO. In these cases, only written requests forwarded in Italian, English, French or Spanish will be taken into consideration.

3. Procedures for resolving disputes and handling complaints.

Verbal requests will be answered verbally, written requests will receive written replies. The person charged with evaluating the report by the person concerned will proceed carefully and discreetly, but may also hear out the interested parties in an informal manner if appropriate. Before any decision is taken, he/she will pursue all reasonable routes available at that time in order to resolve the conflict or satisfy the claim. If significant actions result from this decision, for example; a modification of the employment contract or the interruption of a project, the interested parties have the right to be consulted again (including by telephone, email, etc.), before the decision is formalized. Furthermore, in such cases, the CEO’s approval is required before proceeding with the formal decision.

4. Revision of these procedures.

Smile considers all Human Resources’ procedures to be vital to the success of its development cooperation and humanitarian aid; its operations that can only be effective and efficient with everyone’s contribution. Any suggestions regarding these procedures should be addressed to: recruiting@cesvi.org. The procedures are subject to periodic review as part of the revision process of the entirety of the Human Resources’ policies and procedures.