Health Extension Volunteer

Peace Corps; Oregon (IL); On-site; USD 15,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading organization as a Volunteer in Eswatini, where you'll contribute to community health initiatives focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and education. You'll receive training in local language and culture, and gain valuable skills while making a significant impact in the community. This role offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a vibrant culture while addressing critical health needs.

Qualifications

• Interest in working in the health sector.
• Experience co-teaching or facilitating health training sessions.

Responsibilities

• Co-facilitate support groups for people living with HIV.
• Educate community members to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV.
• Work to improve supply chain processes for HIV/AIDS.

Skills

Community Health

Facilitation

Teaching

Project Management

Education

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

Job description

Volunteers on this project can make an impact on an abbreviated timeline with a 15-month commitment. The first 10-12 weeks of the program will be Pre-Service Training followed by the duration of service. Peace Corps Volunteers serving in this assignment may have the option of adding a second year to their service.

Eswatini prides itself with a vibrant culture and stunning landscapes. It has a rich history and warm-hearted people. As a potential Volunteer, the allure of Eswatini lies in its opportunity to immerse oneself in a community that values tradition and also embraces change. Volunteering in Eswatini promises not only to make a difference, but also to leave an indelible mark on the heart of the Volunteer, fostering connections that transcend borders and enrich lives as well.
Despite its small population size, the Kingdom of Eswatini has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world. In 2003, Peace Corps reopened the Eswatini program to focus on halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and combatting its devastating impact on Swati society.
Presently, the country is at a historic moment in their HIV/AIDS response. Eswatini has achieved HIV/AIDS epidemic control by ensuring that 95% of all people living with HIV know their status, 95% of all people who know their status access treatment, and 95% of all people on treatment have suppressed viral loads. Over the course of the next few years, the country is at its last mile of intensifying its efforts on the fight against HIV. Working in concert with the government, international and local organizations, Volunteers in Eswatini are working toward maintaining and improving the gains that the country has achieved particularly by keeping vulnerable groups and youth at the center of HIV response.
Community Health Through the direct provision of health promotion, education, and referral services, Community Health Officers partner with clinics, community centers, community-based organization and community-based health workers, utilizing evidence-based programming. Within community clinics, Volunteers will:
• co-facilitate support groups for people living with HIV (PLHIV);
• educate community members to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV;
• educate community members to prevent opportunistic infections among PLHIV; and
• work to improve supply chain processes that deliver and manage commodities for HIV/AIDS at the facility level.
PCVs will gain relevant work experience/skills in facilitation, teaching, coaching, conflict management, community development, youth development, project management, grant writing & management, monitoring & evaluation, and cross-cultural communication.
During the first three months in country, Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) will participate in Pre-Service Training (PST) to prepare for community integration and their work assignments. PCTs will receive training on the Siswati language and norms and culture, the Peace Corps approach to development, the fundamentals of their technical assignment area, safety, security, personal health, and resiliency. Trainees must successfully complete the full training package and achieve the minimum standards for language proficiency to be sworn-in for 12 months of Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) service.

Required skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in the health sector and one or more of the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
OR
• 5 years' professional work experience

Desired skills

Highly competitive candidates will possess a strong desire to address community health needs for both adults and children and meet one or more of the following criteria:

1) Experience working at a health clinic or community health center.
2) Experience co-teaching or co-facilitating health training sessions or workshops for adults and youth.
3) Experience designing, implementing, or evaluating community development projects in any context.
4) Experience working on HIV/AIDS projects or with sexual and reproductive health projects.
5) Experience working with summer camps, after-school clubs, implementing mentorship programs or working with orphans, vulnerable children, and/or at-risk youth.
6) Demonstrated leadership experience, including being a “self-starter” and creating structure in informal settings.
7) Experience working in pharmacies, hospitals, hospices, or related.
8) Proven experience learning a language is a plus. For social and work-related purposes, developing strong local language skills helps immensely in community integration process.
9) Former AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA, or Teach for America alumni, are encouraged to apply

Required language skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements to qualify for this position. However, all Volunteers are required to achieve some level of local language competency during their PST. Please take a moment to explore the Language Skills Comments section below to find out more about the language expectations during training and at site.End of Pre-Service Training benchmark at Intermediate Low. The local language is siSwati. SiSwati is the national language in Eswatini and evidence indicates that developing local language skills is key to successful community integration. Trainees must achieve an intermediate level of fluency at the end of the Pre-Service Training (PST) in order to swear-in as a Volunteer. This means that individuals must actively pursue their language learning during training and will be expected to continue language lessons throughout their term of service through individual tutoring. Individuals who do not successfully meet the language standard of Intermediate Low will not become Volunteers. Invitees will be expected to complete introductory language training modules online prior to arriving in Eswatini.
A pre-departure online training will be uploaded in our Peace Corps Eswatini learning space page for introduction to the language. Language learning and interaction has proven to be one of important investments a Volunteer can make for relationship building and understanding the people they will serve alongside with for successful project implementation and sustainable community development. On-going language learning support is offered at post to support individual Volunteer language needs.

Living conditions

The Kingdom of Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with an immensely kind, caring and giving population. The mountainous country is the only absolute monarchy in Africa. Volunteers often easily feel at home in the rural areas, as community members display humor and generosity.

In Eswatini, the distance between homes in a community is often no greater than 1 mile. All Volunteers must be willing and able to walk up to 5 miles a day in some form of mountainous terrain to get to and from work and conduct errands. Volunteers often carry sizable jugs of water up to 1 mile in these same conditions from the community well or community water faucet/tap.

Climate:
The weather across the mountainous nation varies greatly, from very cold winters in houses with little insulation, to extremely hot summers. All applicants should be prepared to serve in either climate and should bring appropriate clothing for both cold and warm weather.

Housing:
Volunteer houses are provided by the local communities, and Volunteers are expected to live at the same standard as residents in their host community. Volunteers should be prepared to live without electricity or running water and use a latrine as that is the norm in rural communities. Some Volunteers may live in houses with more modern conveniences, while others live in single room detached huts with a grass roof within a family homestead.
Communication:

Almost all communication is conducted by cell phone. Peace Corps will help Volunteers buy their phones during PST if they did not bring an unlocked phone from the States. Call costs are based on the number of minutes used and texts sent and are deducted immediately. Incoming calls and texts, even from the US, are free. It is possible to access very slow Internet or messaging apps through the purchase of small and inexpensive data plans for smartphones.

Host Family:
In order to promote cultural integration, language acquisition, and safety and security, all Volunteers will live with a home-stay family during their Pre-Service Training period. Permanent host families (assigned after swearing-in) are asked to treat Volunteers as a member of the family, which means that they will be expected to follow the rules of the household regardless of their age. Volunteers must be open and willing to take part in this experience and participate in the daily life of their family. All Volunteers live within a shared family compound within individual living quarters.

Other Considerations:
Living and working in Eswatini can be an enriching experience but it will certainly be challenging in ways that are different from anything you've experienced stateside.
Eswatini has some restrictive laws that target certain sexual acts. Volunteers will need to be mindful of cultural norms and country-specific laws. Staff will address this topic during PST and identify some potential support mechanisms for incoming trainees.

The Peace Corps seeks to reflect the rich culture of the United States and bring a variety of perspectives and solutions to development issues. Please be aware that American concepts of politeness and appropriate behavior are not universal. Peace Corps works diligently to identify and train host country partners on the rich culture of the United States. Still, when engaging with some individuals, Volunteers who are of an American racial or ethnic minority, have visible disabilities, or whose religious or spiritual beliefs differ from the majority of their country of service may experience discrimination or a high degree of curiosity or unwanted attention from host country nationals. Additionally, women may experience a high degree of unwanted attention from men when traveling outside of their assigned communities. Peace Corps staff will address the topic of unwanted attention and steps PCVs can take to enhance their own personal safety during PST.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Eswatini : Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Couples will live together in their own house on a host family compound for the duration of their assignment.

Does this sound like the opportunity for you?

Learn what it's like to serve in Eswatini

Get detailed information on the Volunteer experience.