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Community Health Advisor

Peace
Corps

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COUNTRY
Madagascar
REGION
Africa
SECTOR
Health
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
None

ACCEPTS COUPLES
Yes
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
27

APPLY BY
July 1, 2017
KNOW BY
Sept. 1, 2017
DEPART BY
Feb. 25, 2018

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Project Description
The Purpose of Peace Corps/Madagascars health project is to support global and national
efforts to ensure that all Malagasy have long and healthy lives by strengthening basic primary
health care knowledge and practices in rural areas of Madagascar.

Madagascar is a beautiful tropical Island, hosting more than 10% of the Worlds biodiversity
with untouched but endangered rain-forests. While serving as a Community Health Advisor,
you will work alongside implementing community partners to facilitate health education and
community outreach, as well as prevention and training programs. Implementing community
partners may be local health professionals, Community Health Workers and mothers.

Most often you will deliver important messages to men, women, mothers, care givers, and
heads of households using a Care Group approach. Dissemination of health messages may also
take place in village forums, theaters, festivals, schools or youth clubs; and through one-on-
one mentoring, door-to-door visits or during informal social interactions. You may also have
the opportunity to bring training opportunities to community health workers, building their
professional capacity and increasing their effectiveness.

Peace Corps Community Health Advisors act as catalysts on a wide range of activities aligned
with government and community priorities that seek to impact maternal and child health,
nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and Malaria prevention and control. Therefore,
your main role will be that of an educator, a facilitator, a liaison, a mentor, and a resource to
assist your community.
Your work may focus on:
Behavior Change through the use of evidence-based methodologies (e.g. Care Group model,
which you will receive an 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 Group to improve infant and young child health
through prevention of childhood illnesses (e.g. respiratory infections); and malaria prevention
and control
WASH Programs: working with community members and through school partnerships to
reduce water-borne illnesses. Activities may include education on essential hygiene actions
and hand-washing; building hand-washing stations; latrine use and maintenance; water
treatment and storage
Health Environment Interventions: Identify concrete interventions related to water, sanitation
and hygiene in households and schools, and various other health topics

Community Health Advisors are also expected to work with community members to develop
secondary projects such as promoting sports for girls, improving community facilities,
adolescent sexual health education, and life skills training. And while much of the work will
take place during weekday daytime 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, Hand Washing day, Latrine Day and
World Aids Day.

Madagascar is one of the Peace Corps countries participating in Let Girls Learn, an important
initiative promoting gender awareness and girls education and empowerment. You will receive
in-depth training on incorporating methods of gender analysis into community assessment and
development efforts. During your service you will find it culturally appropriate ways to
incorporate gender awareness and the promotion of youth, especially girls, into your work. As
part of the initiative, you will also report on these efforts and their impact.

Required Skills
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
OR
5 years' professional work experience

Desired Skills
Work with community organizing
Experience in a position of leadership
Experience working in any public health endeavor such as maternal and child health,
nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH), as well as malaria prevention and control

Required Language Skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. Please take a moment to
explore the Language Comments section below to find out more on how local language(s) will
be utilized during service.

Additional Language Information

While not mandatory, Peace Corps/Madagascar prefers that Volunteers have a background in
French as it is an important skill in country.

Peace Corps/Madagascar therefore suggests that invitees take an intensive French course
before departing USA for service. They may not use this much in their daily work since the
primary spoken language is Malagasy (the sole language in which PCVs will be trained during
Pre-Service Training, but many partner technical reports, newspapers, and food menus are in
French.

Living Conditions

Madagascar is a huge island nation the fourth largest island in the world and it is located off
the coast of East Africa. Madagascars terrain is very diverse and the climate can change
drastically from the Coast to the Highlands. Volunteers are placed throughout the East Coast,
the Highlands and the South East, and living conditions can vary greatly from one Volunteer
site to another. Volunteers should be flexible, resilient, and willing to live in very modest
conditions likely without electricity or running water. Community Health Advisors typically
live in small villages, often with a population less than 2,000.

Housing: During service, Volunteers live in private one-room or two-room housing. House
material often depends on the region, with walls made out of local wooden material in the
Coast and concrete in the Highlands. Volunteers have individual outdoor bath houses and
latrines, but often no running water or electricity. Some communities may have access to
generators that can provide electricity/battery recharge, but that is not standard.

Communication: Almost all communication is conducted by cell phone. Peace Corps will help
you buy your phone during the first few days of Pre-Service Training if you did not bring an
unlocked phone from the States. Call costs are based on the amount of minutes used and texts
sent and are deducted immediately. Incoming calls and texts, even from the US, are free.

Mail: Peace Corps regularly takes mails from the main post office in the capital and
periodically sends packages to Volunteers. It can take up to two months for a letter or
package to arrive at a Volunteers home.

Internet: Most Volunteers will have limited or no computer Internet access in their
communities. However, it is possible for many to access very slow Internet or messaging apps
through the purchase of small and expensive data plans for smartphones. Please be aware and
inform friends and family that while possible, communication options are much more limited
than in the States.

Transportation: Peace Corps provides a bike, helmet, and basic bicycle maintenance training
to assist you in daily routines such as biking to nearby markets or visiting sites around your
village. You may also be required to walk or bike between 3 to 10 Kilometers to reach a main
road or an outlying village where community partners live and work.

Food: In Madagascar, rice is the staple. Other foods include cassava, sweet potatoes,
potatoes and corn. Meat and fish could be expensive or difficult to find depending on the
region where you serve. Fish is more present in the coast where and meat is in the highlands.
If meat or fish are not available, a variety or beans and peanuts can be used as source of
protein. Vegetables vary by region but most of them are produced in the Highlands. Strict
vegetarian and vegans may be challenged, especially during Pre-Service Training, and should
be mindful of food customs in Madagascar: turning down a plate because it has meat may be
seen as rejecting a gift. Volunteers have found it possible but difficult to maintain a vegetarian
diet in Madagascar.

Madagascar is graced with wonderful, though seasonal, fruits such as pineapples, peaches,
plums, bananas, oranges, tangerines, avocado, plantains, papaya, coconuts, mangoes, Litchi,
jackfruit But during the off-season, specific fruits may be unavailable and also unevenly
distributed across country. You will do you shopping at the local market, but some items might
have to be purchased at a larger town nearby.

Peace Corps Madagascar provides support to a diverse group of Volunteers, including Lesbian,
Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ) individuals. LGBTQ Volunteers have served
successfully in Madagascar; although it is not illegal in Madagascar, it is often not accepted in
Malagasy society.

Malaria is highly endemic and PCVs must be prepared to take chemoprophylaxis without
exception.

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

Medical Considerations in Madagascar

Madagascar may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions:
asthma, including mild or childhood; gastroenterology; some types of gynecologic support;
insulin-dependent diabetes; ongoing behavioral health support; seizure disorder.

The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: Adderall, Ritalin
and Vyvanse.

Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: gluten, peanut,
and shellfish.

After arrival in Madagascar, Peace Corps provides and applicants are required to have an
annual flu shot, to take daily or weekly medication to prevent malaria, and to receive
mandatory immunizations.

Before you apply, please also review Important Medical Information for Applicants (PDF) to
learn about other health conditions typically not supported in Peace Corps service.

Does this sound like the position for you?

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 Learn what it's like to serve in Madagascar

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