Gülümseme ve Zeytin
Gülümseme ve Zeytin Yardimlaşma ve Dayanişma Derneği “GvZ” (Basmeh and Zeitooneh) is a non-governmental, non-profit civil society organization that has been supporting the most marginalized, desperate, and affected people since 2014. From the beginning, GvZ believes that its role is to create ways to empower those affected by developing their skills and reviving their sense of humanity and dignity. Through its community centers, GvZ provides women, youth, and marginalized groups with a range of different humanitarian services such as relief aid, protection, education programmers, and communication with other humanitarian actors on how to advocate for issues deemed essential to bring to light. To this end, GvZ strives to continue honing the skills of people to participate in the peacebuilding process and actively advocate for a democracy that reflects a diverse and socially connected society.
Civil Society Enablement Unit (CSEU)
About the Program:
Established in 2018, the Civil Society Enablement Unit supports grassroots NGOs and CSOs through capacity-building initiatives aimed at strengthening small community-based organizations with the skills and knowledge needed for long-term sustainability.
The CSEU upholds the highest standards of integrity, with a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual exploitation, abuse, child abuse, fraud, bribery, and corruption. It is also committed to protecting the security, confidentiality, and privacy of personal information.
Furthermore, the CSEU is dedicated to safeguarding children’s well-being and upholding the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Background and Rationale:
The MinRef-LEAD project, co-funded by the European Union, aims to empower local CSOs to advocate for the rights and inclusion of vulnerable groups. The project offers training, coaching, and financial support to help CSOs build their capacity in advocacy, human rights, and community engagement.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) at GvZ play a central role in advancing human rights, promoting inclusive governance, and ensuring the meaningful participation of vulnerable communities in public and political life. In Türkiye, local NGOs, particularly those working with refugees, and marginalized groups, are often at the forefront of providing essential services, advocating for rights, and contributing to social cohesion. However, many organizations face structural, financial, and technical challenges that limit their capacity to effectively sustain their operations, engage in advocacy.
To address these gaps, the Civil Society Enablement Unit (CSEU) at GvZ by the MinRef-LEAD project, co-funded by the European Union, conducted a capacity assessment for the participating organizations, which resulted in a set of capacity-building objectives, which will be addressed through a series of capacity-strengthening activities.
Training Topics:
Trainers will design and deliver modules on one or more of the following topics:
- Project Cycle Management
- Proposal Writing and Fundraising
- Gender equality mainstreaming
- Human Rights and Legal Framework
- Participatory Approach and Political Participation
- Advocacy and Community Mobilization
- Community Dialogue and Drafting Policy Brief Writing ( Facilitating community dialogue, Data collection and analysis, and drafting policy briefs.)
The Trainer will aim to achieve the following objectives:
- Capacity-Building Plan & Alignment: Develop and submit a clear capacity-building plan that is aligned with the project workplan, training framework, and objectives shared by the Civil Society Enablement Unit at Gülümseme ve Zeytin. The plan should build on the results of the Capacity Assessment Survey while also addressing the real and emerging needs of the six partner CSOs.
- ***Training Design & Delivery:***Design and deliver group training sessions that are tailored to the needs of the partner CSOs, applying relevant and effective methodologies that encourage knowledge exchange, peer learning, and collaboration.
- Coaching & Advisory Support: Provide tailored one-to-one coaching and follow-up sessions, as well as advisory and technical support to the six partner CSOs when required, including in the development of policies, tools, and SOPs to strengthen transparency, compliance, and sustainability.
- ***Reporting & Documentation:***Submit training reports, attendance sheets, and final training materials to the Civil Society Enablement Unit.
Scope of Work:
- Training Duration: The training will be conducted between October and December 2025, the training will span [3-4 days].
- Each activity will be scheduled based on topic requirements and the availability of 6 CSOs as partners.
- The trainer develops an action plan that outlines the various capacity building approaches required to achieve the objectives identified through the capacity assessment tool.
Trainer Qualifications:
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience in delivering capacity-building training for NGOs or civil society organizations.
- Previous experience working with refugee-led, women-led, or youth-led organizations in Türkiye or the wider region.
- Strong understanding of the Syrian refugee context in Türkiye and related legal, social, and humanitarian frameworks.
- Ability to deliver training in Arabic and/or English, with a strong command of Turkish for reporting and coordination.
- Excellent facilitation skills, with proven ability to adapt training methodologies to diverse audiences, including marginalized groups.
Deliverables:
Training Plan & Agenda –
- A detailed plan outlining learning objectives, methodology, tools, and timeline, submitted for approval before the training.
- Design the training curriculum and materials according to the CSO capacity assessment results and the first-party recommendations
Training Materials –
- Comprehensive training package (presentations, handouts, case studies, pre and post-assessment and analysis , exercises ,attendance sheet and reports ) adapted to the needs of the six CSOs.
- Provide the training material and references in PDF.
- Prepare the training agenda and schedules.
- Deliver the agreed on training days.
Confidentiality:
The trainer will be required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding any sensitive information shared during the training.
How to apply
All interested candidates can send their CVs to jobs@gvz-tur.org by October 7th, 2025. Please include “Call for Trainers and the topic you wish to apply for” in the subject line of the email (emails with no subject line and specific topic will be discarded) – Due to a large number of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Gülümseme ve Zeytin recognizes that gender relations and inequalities are fundamental causes of poverty. Principles of equity and social justice require us to work to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity for expressing and using their potential, irrespective of sex, age, race, color, class, religion, ethnic background, or disability. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.