Community Health Outreach Agent

Post

Senegal

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

• Experience and/or interest in maternal and child health
• Experience in public health and positive youth development
• Experience in capacity building through training/coaching
• Experience with community organizing and/or behavior change

Living Conditions

Peace Corps Senegal Volunteers live with a host family either in their home in a separate room or in a small house on the family compound. Sharing meals and camaraderie with your host family will help you to understand the culture, enjoy the security of family life and learn the language of your community. When living with a host family, Volunteers have a private room/hut and private latrine/toilet within the family living environment.

Many Volunteer homes do not have access to running water or electricity. Water is collected at a community pump or well. Cell phone coverage in Senegal is fairly good and you will have a Peace Corps-issued cell phone or may use your own. The internet is becoming more widely available, although it is still not available everywhere. Internet coverage is more commonly available in larger towns and cities.

It can be very useful to have a laptop and a smart phone, but you may not wish to invest in the most expensive model. The dust, heat, and humidity of Senegal are hard on electronics. Cheaper, used, and/or hardier models may be better options. To support all Volunteers to have the basic tools necessary for their work, Peace Corps will provide an optional 1-time grant as part of the settling-in allowance at the end of Pre-Service Training (PST) to buy a simple laptop/tablet (based on local market availability).

Senegalese dishes consist of a staple of rice, millet, or corn with vegetable sauces and sometimes with fresh or dried fish. Meat is also available but more of a rarity. Access to produce is seasonal and variety is often limited by geographic locations. Vegetarians can make arrangements with their host families to maintain their diet, but this usually further decreases variety.

Senegal enjoys a good primary road system, but transportation remains a challenge. You will usually travel in crowded, shared taxis and buses over rough roads, particularly outside of urban areas. You will travel by bike – Peace Corps provided – or on foot or donkey/horse cart for shorter trips within your community and to nearby towns or villages. In all cases, Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to observe Peace Corps Senegal’s transportation policy.

Senegalese pride themselves on being well dressed. A neat and dignified appearance will say a lot about your desire to be accepted as a colleague. During Pre-Service Training, the dress code is business casual. There is a lot of beautiful cloth available in Senegal, and many Volunteers have clothing made by local tailors. Volunteers should not wear clothing that is overly tight, and clothing should always come at least as low to cover the knees. Long shorts, covering the knee, are acceptable for sports, but otherwise are rarely worn.

Volunteers may experience a high degree of curiosity or unwanted attention from host country nationals. Concepts of politeness and appropriate behavior are not universal. Volunteers have been able to turn these encounters into teaching and learning opportunities, sharing American values and deepening local community members’ understanding of Americans.

Language Requirement

None

Language Skills Additional Information

The dominant languages in Senegal are Wolof and Pulaar, but there are many other smaller language groups as well. You will receive intensive training in the most common language of the village where you will be based and you will attain a proficiency level in that language by the time you complete your Pre-Service Training. Most of your work will be carried out in a local language.

Peace Corps Senegal does not train in French, preferring to focus on the primary language that the Volunteer will speak. French language skills are however, very useful in Senegal, particularly when traveling or when working with people from other parts of the country. You are encouraged to learn as much French as possible prior to arrival in country as French language learning is not provided in Senegal by Peace Corps.

Primary Sector

Health

Accepts Couples

No

Language Requirements Information

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

Country

Senegal

Assignment Length (months)

24

Accepting Applications?

Yes

Program

PCV

TEFL certificate program

No

Post to LinkedIn?

Yes