Job Description

Post

Guatemala

Partner Organization Name

Health centers, non-governmental organizations

Required Skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in the health sector and one or more of the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
OR
• 5 years' professional work experience

Desired Skills

All candidates who meet the required skills are encouraged to apply. Additional skills that may make you a more competitive candidate include:

Public speaking experience in a small group education setting.

Experience applying behavioral science principles to encourage positive changes.

Community event planning and implementation experience.

Living Conditions

Volunteers live and work in the departments of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, Sololá, Quiche, Totonicapán, and Quetzaltenango.  Most Volunteers live in medium-sized to larger rural communities (3,000 to 40,000 people) that have electricity and running water, but the supply may be intermittent. Volunteers will be required to live with a host family for the full duration of their service in Guatemala. While each living situation is unique, Volunteers can expect their own private bedroom and bathroom access.

Language Requirement

(PCV) Spanish 1

Primary Sector

Health

Accepts Couples

Yes

Country

Guatemala

Assignment Length (months)

24

Accepting Applications?

Yes

Program

PCV

Posted on LinkedIn

No

Activities

Interview healthcare stakeholders, identify existing health education activities, and analyze available data in a needs assessment.

Identify opportunities for health promotion and education within the community.

Plan and implement collaborative activities to address priority health needs.

Develop educational resources to enhance educational events.

Train health workers in adult-learning techniques and youth service providers in creating safe spaces for health education on topics such as teen pregnancy prevention.

Apply behavior change analysis using the designing for behavior change framework to guide interventions.

Support home visits with health workers to provide individualized health education.

You may also support community-driven initiatives based on local priorities and your own interests, such as community-wide 5k races and health fairs.

Training

As a Community Health Promoter, you will be trained on adult education methodologies and health intervention best practices. Peace Corps/Guatemala will strengthen your Spanish language skills to help you reach an intermediate level of oral proficiency, which will help you comfortably live in and connect with the community. Volunteers in areas where Mayan languages are spoken may elect to study the language once they arrive at their assigned site.

After 10 weeks of training, you will move to your assigned community where you will collaborate with health service providers and community leaders to assess the local needs and develop solutions based on positive community health.

Job Highlights

Gain hands-on international development and public health experience by supporting a variety of community-health initiatives.

Strengthen Spanish language proficiency through daily immersion and collaboration with community members.

Build meaningful relationships and cultural understanding by living alongside host families and participating in community traditions.

Couple Types

Only heterosexual couples can be accepted for this program.

Couple Sector Combinations

Each person must apply separately and qualify for a position in a different sector than their partner.

Couple Training Conditions

Cross-sector couples will live with different host families who may reside in different communities during training. Cross-sector couples may see each other for joint-sector training days or on the weekends but neither are guaranteed.