Health Promoters
About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders
Health Promoters
Health promoters play a crucial role in connecting with communities outside of the hospital setting. They are responsible for various tasks, from running mobile app campaigns to encourage victims of sexual violence to seek care in our hospitals, to organizing community meetings to educate people in refugee camps about the importance of handwashing. Their work is essential in making sure that MSF projects are accessible and beneficial to the communities they serve.
Responsibilities
As a health promoter with Doctors Without Border/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), you will assess, define, implement, and supervise all health promotion and community engagement activities in the project area. These activities aim to collaborate with the community to increase their knowledge of health and health risks, improve current health practices, promote MSF services, and support preventive activities.
This will be achieved through outreach activities bridging the project and targeted communities, respecting their culture and practices, and thereby creating the most relevant and effective information, education, and communication strategies. Your responsibilities will also include developing and adapting our health promotion material to ensure relevance, accuracy, and comprehension. As this is a supervisory role, other crucial elements include recruitment, training, evaluation, and development of the project’s health promotion staff.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or master’s degree in sociology, social communications, anthropology, or public health
- Minimum of two years experience in health promotion in contexts similar to where MSF works
- Experience in health education working with diverse communities
- Experience in managing staff in a multicultural team (supervision and training)
- Available for 9 to 12 month international assignments
Assets
- Familiarity with tropical diseases and infectious diseases
- French (level B2) or another language (Arabic, Spanish).
- Relevant travel or work experience in contexts similar to where MSF works (armed conflicts, disasters, public health emergencies or situations of healthcare exclusion)
Before you apply
As you consider applying to undertake an MSF assignment, it is essential that you have a well-informed and realistic personal reflection. Assignments often mean long hours with a heavy workload, basic living conditions, and working and living in often chaotic and volatile environments.
Security and Safety
Because Doctors Without Borders’ purpose is to bring medical assistance to people in distress, the work may occur in settings of active conflict, or in post-conflict environments, in which there are inherent risks, potential danger and ongoing threats to safety and security. MSF acknowledges that it is impossible to exclude all risks, but it does its utmost as an organization to mitigate and manage these risks through strict and comprehensive security protocols.
International staff will be fully informed of the risk associated with a potential assignment before accepting a particular posting. Working for MSF is a deeply personal choice; individuals must determine for themselves the level of risk and the circumstances in which they feel comfortable, based on a full and transparent understanding of the possibilities they may face. Once in the assignment, all MSF staff must strictly observe security rules and regulations; failure to do so may result in dismissal.
Terms of Employment
MSF staff are employees with a salary and benefits.
MSF encourages the completion of multiple assignments. There are numerous opportunities for professional advancement within the organization, including medical, non-medical, and coordination roles.
Final Thoughts
As you consider applying to undertake an MSF assignment, is it essential that you have a well-informed and realistic personal reflection. Assignments often mean long hours with a heavy workload, basic living conditions, and working and living in often chaotic and volatile environments.
Despite such challenges, thousands of people have worked with MSF over the years and found their experiences in the field to be deeply rewarding, even life-changing. More than anything else, being an MSF international worker means acting in solidarity with people facing unimaginable medical challenges. Your presence alongside people in times of need sends a profoundly meaningful and human message: “You are not forgotten.”
Equal Opportunity and Accommodations Statement:
MSF-USA is dedicated to creating a diverse, impartial, and inclusive workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences as per applicable laws.
We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at recruitment@newyork.msf.org.
We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.
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