About this role
Project Description
Excited to make a meaningful impact on community health? Zambia is seeking dedicated Volunteers to support HIV prevention, youth health education, and maternal and child health alongside clinics and community partners.
Zambia faces significant health challenges, including high HIV prevalence, rising youth infections, and persistent maternal and child mortality. With adult HIV rates at 14.3 percent and rural communities with limited access to health services, the need for strong community‑based education and support remains urgent. Maternal and child mortality are driven by preventable illnesses, limited facility‑based newborn births, and widespread poverty. These issues remain top national priorities, and, while Zambia has made encouraging progress, key gaps in outreach, prevention, and services still require additional support, especially at the community level.
As a Public Health Educator you’ll bring vital energy and skills to strengthen health education, promote positive behaviors, and build capacity among community members and health providers. Your efforts will help reduce preventable deaths, improve treatment adherence, and empower youth and families with knowledge to make healthier choices. Over time, Volunteer engagement accelerates national progress toward an AIDS‑free generation and fosters stronger, more resilient communities across Zambia.
Required Skills
Associate degree in any field and at least two years of full-time, post-high school work experience (from any combination of roles).
OR
Bachelor's degree in any field.
Living Conditions
During pre‑service training, Trainees live with a Zambian host family in a rural community for 10 weeks. Throughout this period, they hone the skills and competencies needed to live and work effectively in their assigned site.
After training, Volunteers reside in a rural community in an independent house but on a family compound. Volunteers use bicycles to get around their host community and access water and electricity in the same manner as their neighbors. In most cases, solar power is used for lighting and to charge electronic devices; water is collected from a borehole or well and treated for safe use; and mobile and internet access is available intermittently.
Job Highlights
Gain hands-on skills in community health education by supporting HIV prevention, youth health promotion, and maternal and child health efforts in underserved communities.
Build experience in behavior change communication and collaborate with health providers to strengthen community‑driven initiatives.
Build lasting friendships through cultural exchange and community engagement.
Activities
Train health workers to deliver health education and behavior change messages.
Encourage women to adopt practices that contribute to a healthy pregnancy, safe delivery, and postpartum and newborn health.
Promote positive behavior change messages about diseases, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Support the role of women and girls in fostering community resilience.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as a life skills summer camps, youth leadership clubs, youth and adult English language support groups, youth sports, or healthy and diverse gardening activities to support nutrition.
Training
As a Public Health Educator, you will be introduced to Zambia’s health system and evidence‑based prevention efforts for major health priorities, including HIV mitigation, youth sexual and reproductive health, malaria prevention, and maternal and child health. You will learn a local language and receive intercultural training to help you comfortably live in and connect with your community.
After 10 weeks of pre‑service training, you will move to a rural community where you will collaborate with rural health clinic staff and community members. You will work with the community to assess needs and develop solutions based on community‑driven priorities and evidence‑based health practices.