About The Job

Apply by :

January 1, 2026

Know By :

March 1, 2026

Depart On :

July 11, 2026

Duration :

2 years, plus 3 months training

ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Project description

KABOH or welcome! The tropical country of Sierra Leone sits on the west coast of Africa. Sierra Leone is a multiethnic society with about sixteen languages spoken among its populace. When a Sierra Leonean greets you with “KUSHE” or “KABOH”, they are welcoming you to the love, kindness, and care deeply felt in the heart of the average Sierra Leonean for strangers.

The Peace Corps has partnered with the government of Sierra Leone from the beginning, and since the first Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in 1962 over 3900 have served here. The current health sector project focuses on the improvement of maternal, newborn and child health through a life cycle approach that also includes youth health and wellbeing and supporting Sierra Leonean Community Health Workers as counterparts for Volunteers to implement project activities. Peace Corps Sierra Leone is uniquely positioned to meet these government priorities by Volunteers being “co-facilitators”, “co-trainers” and “one-on-one coaches” in all areas of work, to build and strengthen capacity among the people of Sierra Leone.

Peace Corps Volunteers Who Serve As Community Health Promoters Are Not Expected To Be Health Experts Or Solo Lead Trainers. Rather, Their Role Is To Partner With The Local Clinic In Their Communities. They Collaborate With Community Health Workers And Other Implementing Partners To Support Their Work In Reducing The Impact Of Health Challenges For Both Communicable And Preventable Diseases. Volunteers Are Also Encouraged To Seek Other Opportunities To Collaborate With Local Organizations In Delivering Public Health Messages In The Following Priority Areas:

• Maternal and Newborn Health
• Child Health
• Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Community Health
  
  

Volunteers' Main Collaborative Roles Are As Health Co-promoter, Co-facilitator, Co-educator, And Support For Advancing Community Public Health Priorities. Activities That Volunteers And Their Sierra Leonean Counterparts Carry Out May Include:

• Conducting a series of one-on-one structured discussions with pregnant women and/or lactating women to promote essential practices that contribute to a healthy pregnancy and newborn through home visits and clinic consultations
• Co-training and/or co-facilitating a series of pregnant mother group meetings to promote essential practices that contribute to a healthy pregnancy and newborn through mothers’ groups and clinic days
• Co-conducting a series of one-on-one structured discussions with caregivers to promote essential child health practices through home and clinic days
• Co-training and/or co-facilitating a series of caregiver group meetings to promote essential child health practices, through clinic visit immunization days, growth monitoring, food distribution, and gardening groups
• Co-teaching classroom lessons for youth 10-24 years of age that provide culturally appropriate comprehensive youth health information and allow youth to practice skill building
• Co-training and/or co-facilitating workshops to improve the skills of community health workers in adult learning facilitation skills, active listening, organizational skills (including data collection and management), negotiation techniques, one-on-one mentoring, and behavioral change communication
  
  

The Peace Corps collaboratively promotes cultural awareness and empowerment for both males and females. Volunteers receive training on the context and issues girls and women face in Sierra Leone and have the opportunity to co-develop and implement related activities that are contextually appropriate. During their service, Volunteers are encouraged to find opportunities to partner with community members to co-promote equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency. As part of their work, Volunteers 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