About this role
Health Education Teacher
Project Description: Healthy habits and positive decision-making are skills learned early that have life-long benefits. This is your opportunity to cultivate these practices in Moldovan youth! A healthy youth population is intrinsically linked to healthy and prosperous futures. With children under the age of 18 comprising 21 percent of Moldova’s population, the government has an acute interest in strengthening child and adolescent health. The Ministries of Education and Health both recognize the influence that early health and life skills education has on hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, bullying, and positive self-image. While these concerns raise a pressing need, Moldova lacks trained teachers to adequately teach these subjects, relying on teachers from other disciplines to cover the material. This lack of capacity makes external support crucial—both in terms of introducing the material and strengthening teacher capacity. As a Health Education Teacher, you will collaborate with local teachers to deliver the national health education and/or life skills course curriculums in Romanian. Together, you will create activities beyond the classroom to reinforce lessons, build confidence, and highlight healthy lifestyle choices. Your supportive role will support positive development among students and teachers alike.
Required Skills: Bachelor's degree in any field.
Living Conditions: Volunteers live with host families during training and at the beginning of their service. While some may have the option to transition to independent housing after eight months if it is available and approved, most will continue to live with host families for the duration of their service. Volunteers serve across Moldova in both urban and rural settings.
Activities: Plan and teach health education and/or life skills classes to primary, middle, and/or secondary school students. Develop teaching and evaluation materials with sustainability in mind. Facilitate clubs and day camps that reinforce healthy lifestyle choices and positive youth development among participants. Organize youth health campaigns with teachers, students, and community stakeholders. Promote communities of practice and professional development among health education and life skills teachers. You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as sports and English clubs.
Training: As a Health Education Teacher, you will be trained on Moldova’s health education and life skills curriculum, classroom management practices, and how to organize successful extracurricular activities. Peace Corps/Moldova will teach you Romanian to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community. You will also receive language resources and learn basic Russian. After 9 weeks of training, you will move to a rural or urban community where you will collaborate with a local school. You will work with the community to assess the local needs and develop solutions based on a youth health assessment.
Job Highlights: Gain training and professional experience in promoting health, wellness, and personal growth for school-aged children and youth. Learn Romanian from skilled Language and Cross-Culture Facilitators. Enjoy living in a culture rich in hospitality and tradition at a transformational moment in Moldova’s history.