"What will you be doing?"

A ton of people ask me what I will be doing while in Malawi, and the truth is I am not 100% sure what my "specific" project will be, and I will not find out until after my 3 months of pre-training service. So instead of trying to explain something in my own words, I decided to take it straight from my Peace Corps Welcome Handbook. I hope this gives some insight to the people who have asked me the question, "What will you be doing?"

"Peace Corps/Malawi focuses on three main areas of vital need: health, education, and natural resource management. Projects in these sectors have evolved over the years based on the needs of the government and communities with whom the Peace Corps works."

I will be a health volunteer. Below are a few examples of the projects I could potentially be working with. This should at least give you and idea of what other health volunteers are doing in Malawi. Straight from my Malawi Welcome Book :)

HIV & AIDS

"The Malawi program team identified HIV as one of its cross-sector program areas. The post is currently working on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support activities in all sectors. All Volunteers undergo HIV/AIDS sessions during pre-service and in-service trainings. In addition, programming staff arranges for HIV/AIDS-related stand-alone workshops to prepare Volunteers for their community work. Volunteers are also provided with technical assistance and support for community projects, initiatives, grant opportunities, and resources, such as informational/educational materials, tools, and human resources (experts within partner organizations and/or sister agencies).

The AIDS pandemic strikes across all social strata in many Peace Corps countries. The loss of teachers has crippled education systems, while illness and disability drains family income and forces governments and donors to redirect limited resources from other priorities. In the past, a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was considered an immediate death sentence for those infected. The advent of anti-retroviral treatment has meant that people can live much longer and better than before. The need for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care messages becomes paramount to ensure positive living. As Volunteers strive to integrate into their communities, they will develop relationships with local people who might die during their service. Because of the AIDS pandemic, some Volunteers will be regularly meeting with HIV- positive people and working with training staff, office staff, and host family members living with the AIDS virus.

Volunteers need to prepare themselves to embrace these relationships in a sensitive and positive manner. Likewise, malaria, a leading cause of both morbidity and mortality of children under age 5, and malnutrition, especially protein-energy deficiencies, motor vehicle accidents, and other unintentional injuries, domestic violence, and corporal punishment are all problems Volunteers might face. They will need to anticipate these situations and utilize supportive resources available throughout their training and service to maintain their own emotional health so they can continue to be of service to their community."

Community Health and HIV/AIDS Project

"Malawi ranks among the countries most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is also severely affected by many other serious health conditions. The Peace Corps HIV/AIDS and community health project (CHP) works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to address some of the health issues in rural areas. Volunteers work in areas of HIV/AIDS education, orphan care, youth and at-risk groups, maternal and child health programs, communicable and noncommunicable disease prevention (e.g., water-related diseases and nutritional disorders), environmental health, and women/girls’ empowerment activities. For many years, Peace Corps/Malawi had the only stand-alone HIV/AIDS project in the Peace Corps, and HIV/AIDS continues to be the cornerstone for health activities."

Health Systems Strengthening

"Since 1994, the government of Malawi has undertaken a number of reforms in the civil service in order to focus on its core activities in the ministries and departments. One of the reforms was the establishment of the decentralization program, which empowers the local people to make decisions that affect their district. The decentralization policy adopted in 1998 empowered the 28 district assemblies to work as local governments. Peace Corps/Malawi has utilized the Peace Corps Response program, which offers short- term assignments for qualified professionals, to aim at strengthening the local governments in their district-level response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in light of the challenges of limited human, financial, and technical resources. Peace Corps Response Volunteers, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), provide HIV/AIDS technical support in capacity building and systems strengthening to support Malawi’s HIV/AIDS efforts at the district level."

The Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP)

"In 2013, Peace Corps/Malawi was selected as one of three Peace Corps posts to pilot the Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) program. In partnership with SEED Global Health and PEPFAR, and through coordination with Peace Corps Response, the GHSP program trains and deploys nurses, physicians, and other health professionals to serve as adjunct faculty in medical or nursing schools to address critical shortages in qualified health-care professionals. By working alongside local faculty counterparts, the Peace Corps works to expand the pool of well-trained health professionals in Malawi."

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