About this role
Community Health Promoter
Project Description: Whether you already have a background in health or are interested in learning new skills to promote healthy practices, communities in Ghana are looking for you.
Progress has been made in Ghana to improve maternal and child health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices, and access to healthcare services. However, challenges persist to ensure that Ghanaians lead healthier lives through improved health practices. The main challenges relate to social and behavior changes. For instance, some pregnant women do not seek early antenatal care, while others don’t use this care at all. There is also significant room for improvement with postnatal care attendance and breastfeeding. In terms of sanitation, many schools lack basic handwashing stations.
As a Community Health Promoter, you will collaborate with local healthcare professionals to promote positive social and behavior changes to strengthen overall health standards in rural communities. Your developed relationships and presence in the respective community supports the acceptance of promoted healthy behaviors. Alongside your colleagues, you will adapt approaches to the local context based on language, cultural, and logistical considerations, as well as societal norms for women, men, girls, and boys.
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 are placed in rural communities in Ghana. Some Volunteers will live in self-contained concrete houses while others may have one or two rooms inside a family compound or nurse’s quarters. While subject to change based on programmatic needs, Volunteers are currently placed in the following regions: Greater Accra, Bono, Eastern, Northern, Oti, and Volta.
Expect a slower pace of life both professionally and socially. To gain the acceptance, respect and confidence of Ghanaians, it is essential that you dress and conduct yourself in a manner which conforms to Ghanaian standards and is expected of professional development workers.
Serving in rural communities requires much flexibility, and Volunteers should not expect U.S. standards regarding facilities, space and privacy in living conditions. Peace Corps will provide additional items such as a cook stove, water filter and money for a bicycle. Cell phone service will be available in most small towns and the postal system is improving but is slow. Your diet may consist of a starchy staple prepared from rice, corn, yam, cassava or plantain, served with a spicy soup or stew which can be made from groundnuts (peanuts), tomatoes, vegetables, beans and possibly some meat or fish. While it is possible to accommodate a vegetarian diet, it will take extra effort on the part of the Volunteer.
Activities: Promote balanced nutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children under 5. Promote improved hygiene practices and water/sanitation options to improve WASH practices and reduce diarrheal diseases. Facilitate sanitation and health education campaigns to increase health literacy and encourage hygienic practices. Support community-based health planning and services. Facilitate youth life skills clubs.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as working with women’s groups on income generation activities and co-leading health and wellness camps.
Training: As a Community Health Promoter, you will be trained to support healthy practices in Ghana, including but not limited to nutrition, maternal and child health, social and behavior change, and water and sanitation hygiene. Peace Corps/Ghana will teach you Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, or Ghanaian Sign Language to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community.
After 10 weeks of training, you will move to a rural community where you will collaborate with health workers, mothers, youth, and community members to organize and advance health-related project activities. You will work with the community to assess the local needs and develop solutions based on their priorities.
Job Highlights: Experience living in a rural community and collaboratively developing solutions within a new culture. Learn a local language and develop lifelong friendships through rich cultural exchange. Receive intensive training on participatory development, project management, facilitation, and cultural agility.