The Peace Corps Uganda Health Project responds to the country’s most pressing heath needs in alignment with the Government of Uganda’s Ministry of Health sector strategic plan. It’s 100% supported by the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), guided by the PEPFAR Country Operational Plan (CIO) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Community Health Extension Volunteers contribute the project goal: “Ending preventable child deaths and achieving a resilient and healthy generation of youth by 2030.”
Volunteers will work with community-based, non-governmental organizations and lower-level health facilities to address four major health project objectives:
• End preventable childhood (ages 0-5) deaths and keep them healthy.
• Increasing the resilience of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS improves their well-being, including Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) (ages 0-18) and their families.
• Increase the knowledge and skills of vulnerable youth (ages 12-19) to remain HIV-free.
• Improve community health service providers’ and/or school staff’s skills to address health needs of children and youth.
Volunteers collaborate with community members and their host organizations to identify community needs and implement appropriate activities. Volunteers will play the role of catalyst for a wide range of activities, guided by the health project framework.
Volunteer primary activities include, but are not limited to:
1. Promote Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (End preventable childhood (ages 0-5) deaths)
• Formation and facilitation of Care Groups with leader mothers and/or fathers to promote essential maternal and child health best practices (malaria prevention, immunization, water sanitation and hygiene, breastfeeding, and child nutrition).
2. Support Orphans and Other vulnerable Children (ages 0 – 17 year)
• Co-facilitate groups for OVC and their caregivers with evidence-based interventions and training in HIV prevention strategies and positive living, including nutrition education, life skills, Journeys Plus HIV Prevention curriculum delivery, referral/ linkages to health or social services.
• Co-facilitate sessions with subject experts on HIV prevention, life skills and mentorship, stigma and discrimination reduction using evidence-based curriculum.
3. Youth and HIV (ages 12-19)
• Formation and facilitation of youths’ sexual reproductive health and other health-related interventions including menstrual hygiene management, HIV-prevention education, and referral to HIV testing services and community linkages.
• Co-facilitate HIV prevention evidence-based activities for health, targeting in and out of school youth in partnership with Grassroots Soccer, using the approved grassroot soccer curriculum.
4. Capacity Building
• Plan and conduct training to improve skills of community health service providers and/or school staff to improve essential healthcare to the targeted populations.
• Coach and/or mentor community health service providers and/or school staff to improve their skills in essential elements of youth friendly and gender-equitable health services.
• Community mobilization and sensitization for uptake of health services and early health seeking behaviors, and community-level health trainings for social and behavior change.
For all the technical activities, Volunteers design interventions with a “gender lens.” Volunteers receive training on gender challenges and can implement gender-related activities that are culturally appropriate. As part of their work, Volunteers will also report on these efforts every quarter. Volunteers invited to this project are expected to work as professionals and will be periodically evaluated as such.
Required skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
• Master of Public Health degree or Master of Arts/Master of Science degree in Public Health
• Certified Physician Assistant or Public Health Nurse with expressed interest in public/community health
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Health, or Nursing
Desired skills
The most successful candidates will have a background or experience in at least one of the following:
· Assessing, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating integrated public health interventions at the district and national level.
· Supporting data management systems to inform data- driven behavior change activities.
· Designing social behavior change communication initiatives and integrated health training.
· Building staff capacity in organizational skills, community mobilization and sensitization.
· Training health professionals including Village health Teams (VHTs), School staff, Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS) on HIV Prevention, behavior change models, maternal child health promotion activities and sexual reproductive health.
· Formation and facilitation of small groups of vulnerable children and youth, women, men and caregivers using evidence-based curriculum.
· Carrying out health surveys using barrier analysis tools to inform knowledge, attitude, behavior and perceptions about certain health behaviors in the community.
Required language skills
There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. Although English and Swahili are the official languages in Uganda, rural communities communicate primarily in the local language indigenous to their community. Using the local language is critical to community integration and effective work, so Volunteers receive intensive training to attain the required proficiency level before swearing in. During Pre-Service Training (PST), Trainees learn through community immersion and practice; one-on-one practice with staff and peers; and self-directed learning at the training venue. In addition, extended tutoring or other accommodation is available as needed to help each Trainee succeed. Volunteers are also expected to continue to improve their language skills throughout the course of their service.
