Community Health and Youth Educator

About the project

Madagascar’s community health project strives to support global and national priorities to engage with disease prevention, maternal and child deaths, and to promote awareness of access to healthcare through work with local partners. We accomplish this goal by promoting the adoption of accelerator behaviors and strengthening primary health care knowledge and practices in rural areas.

While serving as a Community Health and Youth Educator, you will work alongside implementing community partners to facilitate health education and community outreach, as well as prevention and training programs. Implementing community partners include local health professionals, mothers, and global health professionals.

You will work with your counterpart to use health behavior change models and tools to design group activities for women, mothers, caregivers, men and youth using proven effective approaches through care groups, youth clubs, and camps for community members. Dissemination of health messages may also take place during home visits and through mentoring. You and local partners will coach community members to increase their program’s capacity and effectiveness.

Community Health and Youth Educators collaborate with partners in a variety of activities to positively impact government and community priorities in maternal, child, and youth health. The primary focus is maternal and child health and working with pregnant women and caregivers of children under 5. Therefore, your main role will be that of a co-educator, co-facilitator, liaison, and mentor to assist your community in their priorities.

Your collaboration may focus on:

• Behavior change using evidence-based methodologies (e.g. Care Group model, which you will receive intensive training on during In-Service Training).

• Maternal Health: Working with Care Group mothers to encourage at least the four antenatal care visits (ANC) for safe pregnancies.

• Child Health: Working with Care Group mothers and training in essential nutrition actions and preparation of hygienic and nutritious food.

• Disease Prevention: Working with Care Groups to improve infant and young child health through prevention of childhood illnesses (e.g. respiratory infections); and malaria prevention and control.

• Youth Health: Collaborating with community partners to run youth clubs and camps to promote healthy living, positive youth development, and reproductive health through clubs, camps, and/or in-school programs.

Community and Youth Health Educators are also expected to work with community members to develop secondary projects such as promoting sports for girls, improving community facilities, etc. based on the needs of the community. While much of the work will take place during typical business hours, some community activities may take place on weekends. Many Volunteers also work with their village officials to prepare large community-wide awareness events around International Malaria Day, Global Handwashing Day, etc.

Peace Corps Madagascar promotes women/girls’ education and empowerment. You will receive training on women and girls’ challenges in Madagascar and will have the opportunity to implement women and girls-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During your service, you will look for ways to work with community members to promote societal roles of men/boys and women/girls. As part of your work, you will also report on these efforts and their impact.

Learn more about what Volunteers do in country by visiting our Madagascar project page.