About this role
Community Forest and Environment Advocate
Project Description: Communities in Nepal are looking for support as they strengthen the sustainable management of natural resources and inspire younger generations to get involved.
Nepal is among the countries most susceptible to environmental risks due to its topography, the dependency on the environment for livelihoods, and the limited adaptive capacity of rural communities. As temperatures increase, weather-related events such as forest fires, flooding and landslides are becoming more frequent. The effects of these environmental shocks are exacerbated by rapid and unmanaged urbanization, and an imbalance between infrastructure development and biodiversity maintenance—ultimately resulting in soil erosion and a lack of solid waste management. Forests are integral to rural life in Nepal; they provide wood for fuel, timber for construction and furnishings, as well as medicinal and aromatic plants for human health. As such, Nepal’s government is concentrating on the sustainable production and supply of forest products, improvement of biodiversity, increased contribution of forests to national economic development, and the protection of forest ecosystems.
As a Community Forest and Environment Advocate, you will collaborate with community members to strengthen local capacity, especially among youth, to sustainably manage the environment and natural resources that rural people depend on. Together, you will promote youth leadership, gender equity, and mobilization within historically marginalized communities for positive environmental outcomes.
Required Skills: Bachelor's degree in any field.
Living Conditions: Volunteers will live in the Bagmati and Gandaki provinces with a host family but can expect a private a room. Volunteers usually walk several miles every day on hilly terrain to work in both hot and cold weather, and during the monsoon season from June through September.
Activities: Support primary and secondary teachers in teaching environmental education. Plan and facilitate environment-focused clubs or camps for youth. Support schools and communities to adopt improved solid waste management practices. Assist community forest user groups on best practices to rehabilitate, conserve, and sustainably manage natural woodlands. Train families on constructing and using energy-efficient cookstoves. Support community forest user groups to develop forest-based income generating activities and improve basic business skills. You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as establishing book club or cultivating mushrooms and fruit trees.
Training: As a Community Forest and Environment Advocate, you will be trained to support government supervisors and multiple community counterparts to contribute to improving the environmental situation of people in rural communities. Peace Corps/Nepal will teach you Nepali to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community. You will also receive language resources to learn key phrases in a local language used in your assigned area.
After 10 weeks of training, you will move to a rural or peri-urban community where you will collaborate with secondary schools and community forest user groups to assess the local needs and develop solutions that sustainably manage natural resources and increase the environmental resilience of people in rural communities.
Job Highlights: Gain hands-on experience in the sustainable management of natural resources and intercultural communication. Learn Nepali language skills from dedicated Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitators. Enjoy living in the Himalayan mountains and the colorful traditions of 125 ethnic groups who call Nepal home.