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Community Health Specialist

Peace
Corps

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COUNTRY
Nicaragua
REGION
Central America and Mexico
SECTOR
Health
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Spanish

ACCEPTS COUPLES
Yes
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
2

APPLY BY
July 1, 2017
KNOW BY
Sept. 1, 2017
DEPART BY
Feb. 27, 2018

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Project Description
Health Volunteers are assigned to work closely with our main project partner, the Ministry of
Health, as well as with local schools, maternity homes (shelters for pregnant woman from rural
communities to stay the last months of their pregnancy), and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) in the municipality they are assigned, with the purpose of supporting Nicaraguans in
adopting healthy behaviors to improve their overall health situation. The role of the Volunteer
is to:

1) Train service providers;

2) Direct education to the general population; and
3) Facilitate and organize health groups (i.e. mothers' groups and adolescent groups).

Upon arrival at your project site, you will conduct a health survey directed at evaluating the
health problems that you will address during your two years of service. The community and
your project partner(s) will assist you with this survey to identify issues such as disease
patterns, health knowledge and attitudes around it, and general priorities. The preventative
health activities that you develop and implement will be primarily focused on increased
knowledge and healthy behavior change.

Through health education and promotion, we aim to reach the following three goals:

Goal 1: HIV/STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) Prevention

Goal 2: Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
Goal 3: Improved Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes
Volunteers will train service providers (informally trained midwives, community health workers,
Ministry of Health staff, teachers, and NGO staff) and community members, including key and
vulnerable populations, through the use of behavior change interventions and non-formal
education techniques. Topics include:
HIV/STI transmission, prevention, testing and counseling, as well as the reduction of stigma
and discrimination to promote awareness and reduce negative judgment towards those living
with HIV.
Family planning, signs and symptoms indicating the need to seek immediate care during
pregnancy and labor, care for the newborn, exclusive breastfeeding, and best feeding
practices for children under five years old.
Sexual and reproductive health, self-esteem, communication, gender, decision-making,
reproductive health, contraception, and condom negotiation for teen groups.

Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
Master of Public Health degree or Master of Arts/Master of Science degree in Public Health
Certified Physician's Assistant or Public Health Nurse with expressed interest in
public/community health
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Health, or Nursing

Desired Skills
Peace Corps/Nicaragua strongly prefers candidates that:
possess proven abilities in public health problem-solving and developing strong relationships
with those working in the health field.
have experience and/or interest in health education or outreach; classroom or teaching
experience is a plus.
have demonstrated community involvement in planning, organizing, counseling or leadership
within the past four years and strongly prefers those who possess an ability to form, motivate,
and facilitate groups.

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 collegelevel 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 NoviceHigh on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI).

Additional Language Information

Competitive candidates will have conversational Spanish language skills. To swear-in and thus
become a Volunteer, a trainee must demonstrate Intermediate level of written and oral
proficiency in Spanish after 13 weeks of training.

Competitive candidates will have conversational Spanish language skills. To apply to serve as
a Volunteer in Nicaragua, you are required to have some basic level of Spanish prior to arrival
in country. Intermediate to advanced speakers of Spanish are preferred; however, applicants
with lower levels who are actively engaged in Spanish language learning may be accepted.

All of your work as a Volunteer will be conducted in Spanish, and you will communicate with
your host family, fellow community members, and government and nongovernmental
organizations (NGO) representatives in Spanish; therefore, all Volunteers must demonstrate at
least intermediate-mid level written and oral proficiency in Spanish prior to the completion of
the 13-week Pre-Service Training.

Living Conditions

All Nicaragua Volunteers must live with homestay families for the duration of the 27 month
service in order to maximize community integration and to ensure a safe and productive
service.

We can accommodate couples whereby both partners work in the Health program or the
Entrepreneurship Education program, or one in each program. All couples (even those serving
in the same program) will be separated during Pre-Service Training to aid in language and
cultural acquisition. While couples will be living in different training towns for this 13 week
period, there will be many opportunities to spend time together.
Nicaragua is predominantly rural, and its countryside is dotted with medium-sized cities (5,000-
25,000 people) and small agricultural communities (50-200 families). Sites size can vary from
small towns of 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, to larger municipalities or departmental capitals.
As a tropical country, Nicaragua has two primary seasons: the dry season, or summer, from
November to April; and the winter rainy season, which lasts from May through October. Sites
vary topographically from the tropical lowlands of Ro San Juan to the mountainous pine
forests of Nueva Segovia.

Sites vary in size and can range from department capitals to smaller rural villages. While a
wide variety of groceries are available in larger cities and the capital, some Health Volunteers
live in smaller sites with limited options. In these smaller towns, fresh vegetables are not easy
to find and variety is very limited (usually carrots, tomatoes, onions and cabbage). A
vegetarian diet is challenging because people may be unfamiliar with vegetarianism and use
animal fats or broths in their daily cooking. A strict vegan diet is extremely challenging and
will require time and monetary sacrifices and compromises. However, on the whole, Volunteers
find that the Nicaraguan staple foods of gallo pinto (red beans and rice), corn tortillas, bread,
freshly made cheeses, and widely available seasonal tropical fruits provide a great dietary
base. Volunteers find that the Nicaraguan diet is more carbohydrate heavy, and that most
foods are cooked with more vegetable oil than they are accustomed to. Many enjoy working
with their host families to better their nutrition through increasing the amount of fruits and
vegetables in their daily diet.

Personal Appearance is important to people in Nicaragua. During pre-service training, the

dress code is business casual. Following pre-service training, you will need to dress
appropriately for work situations in your community. It is advised to take cues from your
Nicaraguan colleagues, and dress to their standards of professionalism. Most female volunteers
wear blouses or button up shirts with nice slacks or skirts and dresses that go past the knee.
Male volunteers typically wear polo and button up shirts and are expected to keep their hair
short and facial hair trimmed and neat.

Volunteers with visible body piercings or tattoos may need strategies to conceal them. In
Nicaragua, tattoos may be associated with criminal activity. Likewise, having visible body
piercings or tattoos may make it more difficult to integrate into your host community. Keep in
mind that Peace Corps/Nicaragua staff expect you to be flexible with regard to personal
appearance to facilitate integration in training and during your service.

While Nicaragua is generally tolerant, and the PC/Nicaragua office is an open, non-judgmental
place for all Volunteers, values and mores 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 judgment to determine the best way to approach sexual orientation and gender
identity in their communities and host countries. Staff and currently serving Volunteers will
address this topic during pre-service training, as well as provide support mechanisms for
incoming trainees.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience inNicaragua: 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 Nicaragua

Nicaragua may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions:
insulin-dependent diabetes; ongoing behavioral health support.

The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: none identified.

Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: none identified.

After arrival in Nicaragua, 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 Nicaragua

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