About this role
Community Health Promoter
Project Description: Communities in Guatemala are paving the way to healthier lives through education—and you can join the effort!!
In low-income areas of the country, maternal and child morbidity and mortality remain high, undernutrition is widespread, and health services are underfunded. Additionally, many communities are seeing a surge in chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. There is also a lack of resources dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyle practices and positive mental health, especially with the youth population. As a Community Health Promoter, you’ll collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to strengthen existing programs and design new initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes. Alongside the community, you will promote healthy practices that prevent or address key health issues. By focusing on providing quality health education, you’ll allow individuals to take control of their health and build a foundation for a healthier future.
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. OR High school diploma or GED and four years of full-time, post-high school work (from any combination of roles).
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.
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.