Maternal and Child Health Educator

Peace Corps

🇷🇼 Rwanda

On-site

2 days ago

Project Description

Health facilities and clinics across rural Rwanda are looking to strengthen maternal, newborn, and child health services.

Rwanda has made remarkable progress in strengthening its health system, yet maternal and child health challenges remain. According to the 2019–2020 Demographic Health Survey, over one-third of children under the age of five are stunted. This widespread stunting stems from interconnected socio-economic, health, environmental, and behavioral factors, including insufficient diets, limited household food production, and poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions. The Government of Rwanda has prioritized improving child health and training more than 60,000 community health workers on child nutrition indicators, methods to improve antenatal care attendance, and delivering related health education. External support is essential because Rwanda currently lacks enough trained nutrition and public‑health personnel to carry out large‑scale capacity‑building, especially in rural areas where resources, technical skills, and specialized staffing are limited.

As a Maternal and Child Health Educator, you will work alongside community health workers and health clinic staff to promote healthy practices related to nutrition, hygiene, disease prevention, and child development. Through community education and partnership, you will help families build knowledge and skills to prevent childhood illness, improving health outcomes for mothers and children.

Living Conditions

Volunteers live in modest homes with varying access to electricity and running water. Volunteers will serve in rural communities across Rwanda’s four provinces: Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern. Volunteers will travel on foot, by bicycle, or public transportation to reach the assigned worksite.

Job Highlights

Build advanced skills in community health education, maternal and child health, and data collection and reporting—valuable experience for a career in public health.
Receive intensive Kinyarwanda language training and strengthen your proficiency through daily conversations.
Form meaningful connections with Rwandan families and experience the rich culture of the "Land of a Thousand Hills.”

Activities

Facilitate group sessions and home visits that promote healthy pregnancies, safe deliveries, and optimal early childhood development.
Work with families to strengthen nutrition, permaculture gardening, and small-animal husbandry.
Support health workers in monitoring, recording, and interpreting child growth indicators.
Educate families on safe water, hygiene, sanitation, and handwashing practices.
Promote prevention, early recognition, and timely treatment of common childhood illnesses.
Engage fathers and family members in supporting maternal and child health throughout the First 1,000 Days.
Facilitate trainings for community health workers and health providers on First 1,000 Days interventions.
Build community health workers’ skills in adult learning, communication, and basic health reporting.

You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as supporting school health clubs or facilitating a nutrition-focused cooking demonstration for community groups.

Training

As a Maternal and Child Health Educator, you will be trained on key programmatic interventions, monitoring and reporting tools and indicators, as well as technical skills to strengthen the capacity of health service providers. Peace Corps/Rwanda will teach you Kinyarwanda to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community. You will also receive language resources and learn the Rwandan culture to navigate the community.

After 10 weeks of training, you will move to a rural community where you will collaborate with the staff at a community health center to assess the health needs and develop long-term solutions.

Couple Living Conditions

Couples who are selected for the same sector will live together but work with different local partners, which may be in the same community or in neighboring communities (not more than 30 minutes apart)., Cohabitating couples are highly encouraged to present themselves as married throughout service due to cultural expectations.

Country: Rwanda
Required Skills: Bachelor's degree in any field.
Partner Organization Name: Health centers
Language Requirement: None
No Degree Required: No
Primary Sector: Health
Apply By: 15-Feb-2027
Know By: 01-Apr-2027
Start Date: 28-Aug-2027
Assignment Length (months): 24
Positions Available: 10
Accepts Couples: Yes
Featured Job: No
Accepting Applications?: Yes
Request Type: 155 Health Extension
Posted on LinkedIn: No
Couple Types: Only heterosexual couples can be accepted for this program.
Couple Training Conditions: Couples will live together during training but may separate occasionally for field-based activities.
Couple Sector Combinations: Each person must apply separately and must qualify for a position in either the same or a different sector than their partner.

Maternal and Child Health Educator · Peace Corps

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