Community Health Educator

Are you passionate about health education? Organizations and health centers in Zambia are looking for support with evidence-based interventions that promote positive health outcomes, and you can lend a hand!

Zambia’s Ministry of Health aims to end preventable maternal and child deaths and achieve an HIV/AIDS-free generation by 2030. To achieve this goal, Zambia wishes to strengthen the capacity of local healthcare workers to plan, implement, and manage health activities using evidence-based interventions.

As a Community Health Educator, you will collaborate with the staff at a rural health center to strengthen the local health education and awareness of available health services. Alongside your colleagues, you will address other community-identified priorities, such as malaria and water sanitation.

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
A bachelor’s degree is required for all candidates for Zambian work permits.

Volunteers live in rural villages no more than 5 kilometers from their health center work site.

Make a meaningful contribution to the health and well-being of a community
Experience the diverse cultural traditions of a country with over 70 ethnic groups
Build lifelong connections with a host family.

How you and the community will make an impact together:

Train health workers to deliver health education and behavior change messages
Encourage women to adopt practices that contribute to a healthy pregnancy, safe delivery, good postpartum health, and a healthy newborn.
Advocate for positive social behavior change messaging on diseases, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS
Promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency

You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as a life skills summer camp or running club.

As a Community Health Promoter, you will be introduced to Zambia’s health system and evidence-based prevention interventions for diseases. Peace Corps/Zambia will teach you one of the country’s 45 local languages to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community.

After 11 weeks of training, you will move to a rural community where you will support health center staff to develop educational activities and behavior change messaging.