Casa Materna/CKMC Internship Intern to Guatemala

BACKGROUND:

The Casa Materna program is designed to improve health outcomes for vulnerable women and young children in the Department of Huehuetenango in the highlands of western Guatemala. The project's goal is to improve pre-natal care for women and prevent and mitigate the incidence of low birth weight in newborns. The Casa health care facility is located next door to the MoH National Hospital in the departmental capital city of Huehuetenango and provides women with clinical attention, evaluation, medicine and other vital reproductive health services to ensure healthy pregnancy outcomes.

The Community-Based Kangaroo Mother Care (CKMC) research has been ongoing since January of 2013. The formative-operations research focuses on mothers with low birth weight or premature babies after discharge from the hospital or clinic. The study will help determine if CKMC is a feasible, effective, and cost efficient method for mothers in home settings. The study design, methodology, and tools have been created but there is a need to continue with the implementation of the tools, data collection, data analysis, reporting, and dissemination of results.

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION:

The Guatemala intern will provide support to the Casa Materna program and the CKMC pilot study, conducting desk and on-site quantitative and qualitative research, documentation, analysis and writing. The internship period is 3 to 6 months, with a flexible start date (preferably early to mid-June).

DUTIES AND KEY TASKS:

1. Conduct follow-up study on impact of stay at Casa Materna after mothers have returned home. Some of the questions to be investigated include: did the mother and child survive after returning home; have mother and child received any type of follow on health services - where, by whom; what conditions/diseases developed; impressions/feedback of mothers on the care received at the Casa; what additional education and training is needed. In consultation with Guatemala and IO-based staff, intern will:

• Review Casa records and reports
• Conduct home-based interviews
• Conduct key interviews and focus groups
• Conduct follow-on education and training as part of the research
• Data entry and analysis
• Compile written reports

2. Document the impact of CKMC interventions. This documentation may be used for the development of a grant proposal to scale up this low cost, low tech, high impact intervention. Documentation may involve a combination of:

• Home visits and interviews
• Hospital visits and staff interviews
• Huehuetenango Health District interviews
• Review of Casa Materna and the hospital kangaroo care ward records
• Discussions with Casa staff
• Results and recommendations:
  • Propose culturally-relevant intervention messages and strategies for increasing the uptake of education and training among TBAs and families of pregnant women, the utilization of available services, and other critical behaviors.
  • Propose key strategies for community-based approaches to increase support, provide adequate assistance, and increase referrals to available reliable services

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Advanced masters or PhD student with experience in the field of Health, preferably pursuing studies in Public Health, International Development, or a related field
• Knowledge of maternal and newborn health issues
• Knowledge of community health
• A passion for the mission and values of PCI
• Excellent communication/coordination skills
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, including ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks independently
• Written and spoken fluency in English (required) and Spanish (required)
• Strong research and writing skills in English (required) and Spanish (preferred)
• Ability to take initiative, solve problems, anticipate actions, and use creative means to complete tasks
• Ability to work as an integral part of a team, taking guidance and input from a variety of staff
• Strong time management skills and ability to work within deadlines
• Excellent computer skills including word processing (Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (intermediate level Excel or better preferred), presentations (PowerPoint), and graphics
• Experience with SPSS or other statistical package required

COST:

This internship is unpaid. The intern will be expected to cover airfare, housing and living expenses (housing is approx. US$100 per month). Casa Materna will provide lunch daily, and transportation will be provided on trips to the rural areas.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you feel you would be a good fit for this opportunity, please click on the position posting at www.pciglobal.org/internships and include the following:

• Cover letter specifying which volunteer/intern opportunity you are interested in, why you are a good fit for the position, and start/end dates of estimated availability
• Resume or CV

Please apply ASAP, as we will accept applicants on a rolling basis. Ideally, internships will begin by early July 2013.

ABOUT PCI:

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011, PCI (Project Concern International) is an international health, development and humanitarian assistance organization, operating in 16 countries worldwide. PCI is dedicated to saving lives and building healthy communities around the globe, benefitting over 6.7 million people annually in Asia, Africa and the Americas. Funded by federal grants and private support, PCI's current annual budget is nearly $50 million and the organization has 600 employees worldwide.