Community Health Outreach Specialist - Malaria Control - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Kenya - 12 months
Peace Corps
United States
Posted on Sep 6, 2025
About The Job
Projected Departure
August 10, 2026
Duration
12 months
ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.
Project description
Kiwimbi in Kenya has requested the support of two Peace Corps Response Volunteers (PCRVs) to serve as Community Health Outreach Specialists in Malaria Control. Malaria remains a major public health issue in Kenya, accounting for over 16% of all outpatient consultations, with 70% of the population at risk for malaria infection. Fourteen million people live in endemic areas where malaria prevalence is as high as 38%. Kiwimbi’s Malaria School Program works to support a National Malaria Control Program, which aims to reduce the malaria in-patient case fatality from 15% to 5% with control measures to ultimately eradicate malaria.
The PCRVs will work with Kiwimbi to expand the Malaria School Program beyond the initial 4000 students and their households. This work will involve schools’ guidance and counseling teachers, Community Health Promoters (CHPs), Community Health Assistants, and other local community organizations to reach the highest-risk populations, promoting behavior change communication and youth-friendly services. The PCRVs will collaborate with these counterparts and stakeholders to support the creation of health services, including those that are youth-friendly and focused on the empowerment of women and girls. They will develop and implement school-based health education programs that promote malaria prevention behaviors (e.g., consistent bed net use and early treatment-seeking behavior), and engage students, teachers, and caregivers in awareness activities that strengthen health literacy around malaria prevention and control. They will also work with local communities to promote the uptake and proper use of insecticide-treated bed nets, encourage timely health-seeking behaviors, and reduce barriers to accessing effective malaria treatment. They will also assist CHPs to improve the quality of malaria case management services while supporting CHPs in improving the collection, analysis, and use of malaria data to strengthen community-level surveillance and inform targeted programming. The goal of this assignment is to increase community and school engagement in evidence-based malaria prevention practices in Busia County.
Required Skills
BA/BS in Public Health, Community Health, Social Sciences, or a related field.
3 or more years of relevant work experience.
2 or more years' experience in one of the following public health areas during Peace Corps service or through other comparable work in an intercultural, low-resource setting: maternal health, infant and young child health or nutrition, malaria control, TB/HIV.
Experience in project management.
Projected Departure
August 10, 2026
Duration
12 months
ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.
Project description
Kiwimbi in Kenya has requested the support of two Peace Corps Response Volunteers (PCRVs) to serve as Community Health Outreach Specialists in Malaria Control. Malaria remains a major public health issue in Kenya, accounting for over 16% of all outpatient consultations, with 70% of the population at risk for malaria infection. Fourteen million people live in endemic areas where malaria prevalence is as high as 38%. Kiwimbi’s Malaria School Program works to support a National Malaria Control Program, which aims to reduce the malaria in-patient case fatality from 15% to 5% with control measures to ultimately eradicate malaria.
The PCRVs will work with Kiwimbi to expand the Malaria School Program beyond the initial 4000 students and their households. This work will involve schools’ guidance and counseling teachers, Community Health Promoters (CHPs), Community Health Assistants, and other local community organizations to reach the highest-risk populations, promoting behavior change communication and youth-friendly services. The PCRVs will collaborate with these counterparts and stakeholders to support the creation of health services, including those that are youth-friendly and focused on the empowerment of women and girls. They will develop and implement school-based health education programs that promote malaria prevention behaviors (e.g., consistent bed net use and early treatment-seeking behavior), and engage students, teachers, and caregivers in awareness activities that strengthen health literacy around malaria prevention and control. They will also work with local communities to promote the uptake and proper use of insecticide-treated bed nets, encourage timely health-seeking behaviors, and reduce barriers to accessing effective malaria treatment. They will also assist CHPs to improve the quality of malaria case management services while supporting CHPs in improving the collection, analysis, and use of malaria data to strengthen community-level surveillance and inform targeted programming. The goal of this assignment is to increase community and school engagement in evidence-based malaria prevention practices in Busia County.
Required Skills
BA/BS in Public Health, Community Health, Social Sciences, or a related field.
3 or more years of relevant work experience.
2 or more years' experience in one of the following public health areas during Peace Corps service or through other comparable work in an intercultural, low-resource setting: maternal health, infant and young child health or nutrition, malaria control, TB/HIV.
Experience in project management.