Project Description

Since 1963, over 5,000 Volunteers have served in Guatemala making it one of the Peace Corps’ longest standing posts. A country of striking features and a strong indigenous culture, Guatemala's natural beauty and powerful identity stand prominent in Central America. Indigenous populations make up about half of the population. More than 20 indigenous languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Strategically located, with substantial natural resources and a young multi-ethnic population, Guatemala has enormous potential to generate growth and prosperity for its people. However, poverty and inequality in the country are persistently high. High rates of childhood malnutrition and lack of opportunities for youth, women and the indigenous populations threaten Guatemala’s ability to reach its full potential. Peace Corps Guatemala responds to these inequalities through strategic governmental collaborations and community empowerment within four project areas: Youth in Development, Maternal and Child Health, Community Economic Development, and Rural Extension.

Guatemala faces high rates of food insecurity that disproportionally affects vulnerable populations living in rural areas. The government of Guatemala is working to meet the country's food insecurity challenge by strengthening its national agriculture extension system, which is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Nutrition and focuses on rural development initiatives that provide education and technical assistance to rural farmers.

The Rural Extension Program seeks to increase food security among rural households in Guatemala through collaboration with community partners to strengthen the delivery of national rural agricultural extension services. Extension involves working with farmers and community members on technical/agricultural issues to improve their livelihoods. The program aims to collaborate with extension agents, who are local specialists with expertise in the areas of agriculture, animal husbandry, home health, and economics, as well as with community leaders who hold an important role in sharing new knowledge with fellow farmers. These two partners have the technical knowledge and/or expertise but sometimes lack formal training on adult learning, participatory development, and inclusion strategies. Volunteers do not need to be subject-matter experts themselves. Rather, the role of the Volunteer is to work alongside extension agents and community leaders to provide one-on-one field based instruction and/or group trainings to guide their learning in topics related to adult learning, participatory approaches to community development, organizational skills for group development, gender and social inclusion. Volunteers use their own training skills to teach and support participatory community development processes and tools to promote empowerment within community groups. In addition to providing trainings, Volunteers work alongside communities to conduct needs assessments, identify gaps in available resources, develop new materials to support the work of rural development initiatives, and guide extension agents and community promoters to further develop their capacities.

In all facets of the program, Volunteers are expected to take the role of a co-facilitator, co-trainer, and facilitate a continual learning process to minimize dependency on their skills and to promote the sustainability of the project within the national extension system and the greater community. Volunteer projects and day-to-day activities are intended to contribute to improved performance of the extension system workers. Through the collective efforts of all Volunteers and community partners, the program seeks to increase the agency of rural households to increase and sustain food security. Volunteers in the community are likely to also have the opportunity to connect with other stakeholders and organizations working towards the same goal of food security.

Climate Change Activities

As the impacts of climate change become ever more evident, the social, economic, and environmental context within which smallholder farmers seek to maintain and improve their livelihood and support their families will continue to change. This will add significantly to the challenges of smallholder farming, particularly for the most disadvantaged communities. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will be trained to use a participatory approach and tools to identify locally determined priorities and conditions, including those related to the impacts of climate change. As an Agriculture Volunteer, you will be trained to use this local knowledge in engaging smallholder farmers in a climate-smart approach that:

• promotes the adoption of improved, appropriate, and adaptive agricultural practices and technologies that sustainably increase productivity;
• builds and strengthens household resilience by integrating and diversifying existing and new agriculture-related income-generating opportunities; and
• reduces greenhouse gas emissions attributable to ineffective and carbon intensive farming practices and encourages adoption of agricultural practices and activities that sequester carbon.

COVID-19 Volunteer Activities

As a Volunteer, you will be trained in how to best protect yourself from COVID-19 exposure and understand the impact of and steps to reduce stigma related to COVID-19. You may also have the opportunity to engage with your community on implementing or enhancing COVID-19 mitigation activities, such as COVID-19 prevention and risk reduction strategies including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, addressing myths and misconceptions related to these practices, and vaccine hesitancy. Activities will be tailored to address the COVID-19 circumstances in the communities where you will serve.

Required Skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture 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

Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
• Degree in Agriculture, Natural Resources, or Environmental Studies.
• Experience with agriculture extension and/or home health in rural communities.
• 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 organizing, sustaining and/or motivating groups of adults: facilitating asset-based and participatory processes.
• Experience in resource and/or inventory management of educational media and information
• Experience implementing behavior change approach and/or coaching techniques.
• Experience teaching or providing training to adults in non-formal settings; especially with women, youth or indigenous populations.
• Experience in business or organizational management or development.
• Experience working in an unstructured setting: building relationships, communicating effectively and organizing consistent work.

Required Language Skills

Candidates must meet one or more of the language requirements below in order to be considered for this position. A. Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework within the past 8 years B. Completed minimum 2 semesters of Spanish college‐level coursework within the past 6 years C. Native/fluent speaker of Spanish Candidates who do not meet the language proficiency levels above can take the language placement exams to demonstrate their level of proficiency. Competitive applicants typically attain a score of 50 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program CLEP exam or a score of Novice‐High on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI).

Trainees need to demonstrate an intermediate level of oral and written proficiency in Spanish by the end of Pre-Service Training. Once sworn-in for service, most Volunteers will work directly in Spanish. Some Volunteers will work in communities with Mayan languages with support from a Spanish/Mayan speaking community member. Volunteers serving in areas where Mayan languages are spoken may study the local language once they arrive in their community to assist with integration into the community and basic communication.

Living Conditions

Work Site and Housing
Most Volunteers live in medium-sized to larger rural communities (3,000 - 40,000 people). Most communities have electricity and running water, but the supply may be intermittent. Fruits, vegetables, and meats are available on site or in nearby communities. Housing typically consists of cement block structures with a private bedroom and shared kitchen, bathroom, and living rooms. The phone plan Peace Corps provides includes credit for some local calls and limited internet. Most Volunteers have access to internet in their communities either in a local internet café or by purchasing additional internet data.

Host Family Situation
Volunteers are required to live with a host family during the 10-week Pre-Service Training and during the two years of service to increase integration and for continuous orientation to the local safety and security concerns. It is important that applicants be willing and eager to interact and live with a Guatemalan host family. Many Volunteers cook for themselves during service, but some opt to eat with their host family or in small local restaurants.

Diversity Challenges
While Guatemala is generally tolerant, values concerning sexual orientation and gender identity may be different from those in the U.S. Volunteers will need to be mindful of cultural norms and use their judgement to determine the best way to approach communicating sexual orientation and gender identity in their communities and host countries. Volunteers who are of an American racial, ethnic, or national minority or whose religious or spiritual beliefs differ from the majority of their country of service may find they experience a high degree of curiosity or unwanted attention from host country nationals. Staff and currently serving Volunteers will address these topics during Pre-Service Training, and identify support mechanisms for incoming Trainees.

Climate
Volunteers are placed in Guatemalan communities which may be quite mountainous and, due to the altitude, can be cool to cold at night. Dressing in layers is the best way to deal with the daily temperature variations. The sunlight is strong, even during colder temperatures.

Dress
Personal appearance is important to people in Guatemala, so professional or business casual dress is expected. Dressing appropriately will help you gain respect in your host community, facilitate integration, and increase your credibility and effectiveness. It is advised to take cues from your Guatemalan colleagues, and dress to meet/exceed their standards of professionalism.

Volunteers with visible body piercings or tattoos will need strategies to conceal them. In Guatemala, tattoos may be associated with criminal activity. Likewise, having visible body piercings may make it more difficult to integrate into your host community. Keep in mind that Peace Corps/Guatemala staff will ask you to be flexible regarding your personal appearance to facilitate integration in training and during your service. Remaining flexible is the key to Peace Corps service in any country.

Cultural Considerations
Guatemala is a very traditional and religious society. People’s roles in regard to gender, work, and the community are much more clearly defined along gender roles than in the U.S. Volunteers must be aware, tolerant, and respectful of their practices, customs, and way of life and they may need to adapt certain behaviors to demonstrate that respect.

The cultural and security considerations for alcohol use differ greatly in Guatemala and the United States. Volunteers must understand and evaluate the social and cultural implications of alcohol use in their communities. Peace Corps service has many stressors, and it is important for applicants to bring healthy self-care practices and coping strategies that will help them serve positively in country. Additional conversations and guidance on coping strategies will be shared during the Pre-Service Training period.

Serving in Guatemala

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

Couples Information

Peace Corps Guatemala is happy to accommodate cross-sector couples. Staff will identify communities with sufficient work opportunities for both Volunteers. Your partner can apply and must qualify for service as a:
Maternal and Child Health Promoter.

Couples will not live together during the ten weeks of Pre-Service Training. Guatemala’s community-based training model places Trainees in communities based on their technical program and Spanish level. Special considerations are given to couples so that they live in nearby communities, offering them more flexibility to see each other during training (e.g., on weekends). Peace Corps Guatemala has also found that language acquisition and cultural integration increase when each member of the couple lives with a separate host family. After training, couples will live together for the duration of their service.

The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couples placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process, recruiters and placement officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/faqs/lgbtq/.

Medical Considerations

Before you apply, please review Medical Information for Applicants to learn about the medical clearance process.

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