Community Health Outreach Volunteers at Peace Corps Kenya

Community Health Outreach Volunteers work within governmental health clinics, national non-governmental organizations, or community-based organizations. Volunteers play the role of co-facilitator, mentor, educator, and catalyst for the institutions they support to improve health outcomes in communities throughout the country. However, more than the skills they offer, the most successful Volunteers in Kenya are patient, flexible, and have a passion for serving others. All Health Volunteers will work in three focus areas:

• HIV/AIDS Prevention
• Maternal and Child Health (MNCH)
• Capacity Building and Support to Community
• Health Volunteers (CHV)

As a Health Volunteer, you may be involved in the following types of activities in a typical work day:

• Co-train and support community-based health organizations that advocate for positive social behavior change through on diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, which are national top priorities.
• Co-facilitate evidence-based interventions that promote positive health outcomes on issues that relate to the project focus area such as safe-motherhood, neonatal, and child health.
• Collaborate with the traditional and local leadership to conduct needs assessments, identify community public health challenges, and find local solutions.
• You will work with CHVs or local NGO partners, and your work schedule will vary from that of a typical “business” work day. You will have a less formal schedule with activities occurring during a variety of days, times, and locations in the community. Meetings and activities can happen on any day of the week and some days, you may have no formal work activities and will be free to work on secondary projects. You will also have opportunities to work in schools and with out-of-school youth and support health education activities.

NOTE: Social distancing and other COVID-19 mitigation measures imposed by the Peace Corps, Government of Kenya, and/or host country partners may result in disruption in activities.

Peace Corps Kenya partners with community counterparts to promote gender awareness and girls’ education and empowerment. You will receive training on gender challenges in Kenya and you will have the opportunity to co-implement gender-related activities that are contextually and culturally appropriate. You will look for ways to work with community members to co-promote gender-equitable norms and co-facilitate empowerment programs designed to support both girls and boys that to explore a new paradigm together.

Required Skills

• Qualified applicants will have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline and have an expressed interest in working in the health sector, mainly in rural areas (villages) and semi-urban areas with under-resourced communities.

Desired Skills

Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following:

• BA/BS in Nutrition, Health, Nursing or Dietetics
• MA/MS in Public Health (MPH)
• Certified Physician's Assistant with interest in public/community health
• RN, LPN, LVN Nursing Degree or Diploma, or other post-grad health/medical degree with interest in community health
• Prior experience or interest in working in the areas of:
• Maternal & Child Health
• HIV/AIDS prevention
• Nutrition
• Volunteer or work experience in a health related field; i.e. HIV/AIDS outreach; COVID-19 response; sexual education; contraception or family planning counseling.
• Experience with youth development, particularly life skills development, promotion of healthy lifestyles, camps, youth clubs, scouts, etc. Candidates should be prepared to cope with cultural differences and engage in discussions for positive change