Health Promotion Officer / Intercultural Mediator Arabic & Tigrinya

Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium; Brussel; On-site; EUR 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal Vouchers

Hospital Insurance (DKV)

Pension Plan

100% reimbursement for publictransport

Job summary

Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium is seeking a Health Promotion/Intercultural Mediation professional in Brussels to address health needs of migrants and vulnerable populations. The role emphasizes collaboration with a multidisciplinary team and engagement with migrants in transit and undocumented populations.

Responsibilities include health education, community outreach, advocacy, and ensuring culturally sensitive care.

Qualifications

• Secondary school diploma or equivalent.
• Studies in social sciences, social work, behavioural sciences, public health, community health, nursing or teaching is an asset.
• Computer literacy (Word, Excel and Internet)
• Excellent command of Arabic and Tigrinya; English mandatory.
• Knowledge of French and/or Dutch is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Inform and guide patients and communities about psycho-medico-social services and how to access them in the Brussels network.
• Organize health education activities for patients on mental health topics and public health issues.
• Provide information, raise awareness and link to care to empower the target population.
• Participate in situation analysis, needs assessments, and community mappings.
• Reflect with the outreach team to adapt activities and improve service quality.
• Network with community actors and follow up on engagement activities.
• Implement health talks, Rapid Qualitative Assessment and Digital Health Promotion activities.
• Support monitoring of HP activities and produce regular reports.
• Participate in team case management meetings and intercultural mediation supervision.
• Provide high-quality interpretation between care providers and service users.
• Assist in addressing sociocultural barriers to access to services.

Skills

Health education

Situation analysis

Community engagement

Computer literacy

Education

Secondary school diploma

Studies in social sciences or public health

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Internet

Job description

In a country at the heart of EU serving as destination and transit country and in a context marked by the strengthening of deterrent policies, the erosion of human rights and the reduction in the resources available to support the most vulnerable, the Belgian project of MSF is aiming – in collaboration with the existing network – to treat and document the health consequences of migration policies: in various settings (detention centers, informal settlements, squats, on the streets, etc.); among various migrant groups without effective access to healthcare (migrants in transit, stranded in Belgium, people facing detention, asylum seekers excluded from the system, etc.); and with a specific focus on mental health and survivors of violences.

Today, the project is structured around 4 main axes of intervention:

1. Mobile team which provides sensitization, prevention, health promotion, mental health and referral to specialized medical care for the most vulnerable;

2. Detention where MSF coordinates a pool of volunteer doctors and psychologists providing second medical opinion for people held in administrative detention centers;

4. Advocacy focusing on the health impacts of migration policies (e.g. policy of non-reception), MSF seeks to strengthen awareness, shape narratives, and advocate for more humane responses.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

MSF's purpose in Belgium aims to address, through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, the health needs and key social determinants of the most vulnerable segments of the population, including migrants in transit and undocumented migrants, while proactively engaging in assessing main difficulties and promoting institutional change.

• Inform and guide patients and communities about all psycho-medico-social services / institutions available to them in the Brussels network and how to access them.
• According to medical priorities and assessed needs, organize health education activities for the patients and community on relevant mental health topics (such as health risks on the migration journey, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases and violence awareness), mental health (stress management, self-care) and transversal topics (MSF awareness, health system in Belgium, services promotion.
• Provide information, raise awareness, and link to care to empower the target population and enable them to take informed decision about their (physical or mental) health and how to get access to healthcare. This will be achieved through service information and guidance on the Belgium health care system, other NGOs’ services and health education on most prevalent health/mental health issues in the target group.
• Participate in the realisation and implementation of situation analysis, needs assessments, community mappings and diverse HP projects under the guidance of the HP Supervisor.
• Reflect with the outreach team (collaboration with the med/MH staff) to adapt activities and messages to ensure smooth flow of activities, avoiding misunderstandings and improving the quality of services.
• Network with relevant community actors (e.g. community-based organization, migrant-led committees) and follow up activities with them based on a community engagement approach.
• Implement activities such as health talks, RQA (Rapid Qualitative Assessment), DHP (Digital Health Promotion) participation in events with other partners etc.
• Support in monitoring of HP activities and produce regular reports to the supervisor.
• Participate in team case management meetings and attend supervision sessions with members of the team, as part of intercultural mediation responsibilities connected to working in the migration context
• Provide quality and culturally sensitive interpretation between the care providers and the person(s) receiving a service (trialogue) in the language in which they would like to express themselves (source language/target language), supporting intercultural awareness, sensitivity and clear communication between the parties.
• Assist care providers and the people receiving services in addressing negative consequences of sociocultural differences, supporting the therapeutic/social intervention through sharing with the care providers relevant aspects of the cultural background of the person(s) receiving a service, acting as a cultural broker; identifying and reporting barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services.

Some tasks shifting between the health promotion responsibilities and intercultural mediation responsibilities will vary according to the evolution of the context, activities and needs.

The HPO/ICM in a migration context is committed to upholding MSF's principles and fostering an environment free from racism, discrimination, or cultural insensitivity. Therefore, to refrain from participating in interventions where such principles are compromised or where there's a risk of offense to the customs, culture, beliefs, and values of any party involved, be it the person receiving services, staff, or the HPO themselves:

• Guarantee confidentiality, impartiality and neutrality, declare conflict of interest.
• Support when requested other programme activities (NFI distribution, crowd control, etc.).

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• Secondary school diploma
• Studies in social sciences, social work, behavioural sciences, public health, community health, nursing or teaching is an asset
• Computer Literacy (word, excel and internet)
• Health Education & Service Promotion
• Situation Analysis & Feedback
• Social Networking & Community Engagement

Languages

• Excellent command of Arabic AND Tigrinya is mandatory
• Proficiency in English is mandatory
• Knowledge of Amharic, Tigre, Somali and especially Afaan Oromo is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of French and / or Dutch is also an asset.

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: January 4th 2027
• Location: Brussels
• Due to legal administrative constraints, given the duration of the contract, candidates must already have the permanent right as Belgian or EU national, and/or valid work permit with mention of "Unlimited access to the labor market" to work in Belgium
• Contract Type: Fixed-term until 31st of December 2027
• Salary according to MSF-OCB Head Office grid
• Meal Vouchers - Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

Deadline for applications: 17/11/2026

MSF values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

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