Peace Corps Response Volunteers are needed to serve as Community Economic Development Specialists with the Municipal Women’s Offices in the communities of Guatemala’s Western Highlands. Guatemala currently has one of the highest levels of poverty throughout Latin America, with rural areas and indigenous populations disproportionately affected. In recent years, the Guatemalan government has increased efforts towards poverty reduction and greater economic equality through the implementation of a number of agreements, national policies, and normative and political frameworks. Peace Corps Guatemala supports a number of national strategies and creates a space for Response Volunteers to focus on prioritized populations (women, youth, and indigenous) through capacity building efforts with the overall goal of advancing gender equity and financial inclusion in the communities of Guatemala. The project has a two-pronged approach, focused on both strengthening organizations (governmental, non-governmental, and community-based) and the training of individuals in leadership positions to ensure the transfer of essential knowledge and practices—with a specific focus on personal money management skills and basic business skills-- to community members and leaders.

Peace Corps Response Volunteers (PCRVs) with advanced proficiency in written and spoken Spanish and a BA/BS degree in any field with experience in the development and implementation of CED projects are needed to conduct an analysis of primary functions and opportunities for collaboration between and with national and local government institutions key to promoting financial inclusion and gender through strategic programming. The PCRVs will contribute to the development of project resources; training materials, and MRE. The lessons learned, best practices observed, research conducted, and experiences gained through their service will be used to continue the development of the CED project through the creation of effective training materials and resources for future two-year volunteers, to establish connections between Peace Corps and Guatemalan Institutions, and to strengthen the capacities of partners.

Please note that departure dates and other details of this project could change because of the uncertainties as Peace Corps and local partners resume Volunteer operations. Candidates selected for this position will be arriving in Guatemala together as a group, so while the departure dates for the whole group could change, dates cannot be changed for individual candidates.

Municipal Women’s Office (DMM), Departmental Ministry of Economy Office, Departmental Women’s Secretariat Office

• High tolerance for ambiguity and high level of flexibility – some details of this project could change because of the uncertainties as Peace Corps and local partners resume volunteer operations.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
• Experience in the development and implementation of CED projects or projects from other sectors that have a strong organizational development component.
• Advanced proficiency in written and spoken Spanish.
• Experience employing organizational capacity development strategies including participatory assessment, decision making, and planning processes with community based organizations and/or in community development projects.
• Experience in Project Design and Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and training design and delivery.
• At least two years of experience working in a low-resource, cross-cultural context.