Health Assistant

• PositionHealth Assistant
• CompanyAction Against Hunger
• LocationNapak, Uganda
• CategoryHealth, NGO, International Development Jobs in Uganda
• IndustryHumanitarian aid and international development
• DepartmentHealth programme
• DeadlineMonday, 16 November 2026
• Not in the advertJob type, pay and benefits

Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organisation working to end hunger. It says it reaches about 24 million people each year through hunger prevention and treatment programmes, with around 8,300 staff working across some 50 countries.

Action Against Hunger USA, part of the Action Against Hunger International network, manages operations in eight countries, including Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Haiti. Its work addresses root causes of hunger such as climate change, conflict, inequity and emergencies.

In Uganda, the organisation runs nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection and cash programmes with refugees, host communities and crisis-affected districts, including Karamoja and the south-west refugee settlements.

The Health Assistant works at community level, mobilising households, running sensitisation sessions, supporting immunisation defaulter tracing and helping health workers with non-clinical outreach tasks. The role does not involve clinical procedures beyond the holder's qualification and authorisation.

The assistant works with the Health and Surveillance Officer, VHTs, facility staff, community, cultural and religious leaders, and nutrition, WASH and protection teams. Frequent household visits and travel to remote outreach sites are part of the job, along with careful record-keeping and protection of beneficiary information. The assistant also records community feedback and access barriers, promotes the organisation's complaints channels, and helps make sure women, older people and persons with disabilities can take part in health activities safely and with dignity in every outreach.

In plain terms, this job splits into 5 areas of work. Each list below restates the employer’s duties in shorter words; the advert linked under How To Apply is the final word.

Community mobilisation and education

The assistant engages households, leaders and VHTs, shares approved health guidance and supports local-language communication.

• Encourage communities to attend combined outreach, vaccination and other health sessions.
• Teach communities about maternal, newborn and child health, vaccination, prevention and timely care-seeking.
• Discuss ANC, PNC, skilled birth, newborn support, warning signs and vaccine timing using approved messages.
• Engage VHTs alongside faith, cultural and local leaders to respond to mistaken beliefs.
• Distribute approved IEC materials in local languages.

Immunisation and outreach logistics

The role helps locate children who missed vaccination, contacts caregivers and supports outreach preparation and non-clinical delivery.

• Work with VHTs and facilities to identify children missing or behind on vaccinations.
• Create follow-up lists and contact caregivers about routine and catch-up vaccination.
• Remind caregivers about outreach dates and vaccination schedules.
• Help prepare outreach sites, mobilisation and client flow.
• Carry out non-clinical duties that assist health workers at outreach sessions.

Health concerns and referrals

The assistant connects people to qualified care, follows referrals and helps identify disease alerts without diagnosing or treating.

• Identify people needing health attention and connect them to VHTs or qualified workers.
• Follow up referred clients and confidentially record outcomes.
• Locate expectant mothers and children who have not yet received relevant care.
• Help VHTs detect and report unusual health events or possible epidemic alerts.
• Share approved symptom and care-seeking information without diagnosing or treating.
• Raise awareness about measles and AWD/cholera prevention and reporting.

Records, feedback and confidentiality

The role submits timely activity information, records community barriers, promotes complaints channels and safeguards beneficiary and health data.

• Alert the Health and Surveillance Officer in charge when serious health issues arise.
• Maintain attendance, mobilisation, household follow-up and activity records.
• Record field findings in authorised formats and send updates within set deadlines.
• Pass community concerns and access challenges to the supervisor, while explaining available response channels.
• Keep beneficiary details and clinical information private.

Coordination and materials

The assistant maintains local working relationships, links referrals across programme teams and accounts for field materials.

• Maintain constructive links with VHTs, local leaders, facility staff and community structures.
• Coordinate referrals with Nutrition, WASH and Protection teams.
• Care for IEC materials, registers and other project resources and account for their use.

Required Education

• Certificate or diploma in Community Health, Nursing, Nutrition, Public Health, Health Promotion, Community Development or another relevant field.

Work Experience

• At least 2 years of experience in community health, health promotion, immunisation mobilisation, humanitarian programming or community outreach.
• Experience working with VHTs/CHWs, local leaders and vulnerable communities is an advantage.
• Experience in community mobilisation, household follow-up, referrals and basic field data collection is desirable.

Additional Requirements

• Community-based role in the assigned district with regular field travel.
• No direct supervisory responsibilities.

Technical Skills

• Community mobilisation: Mobilising households for outreaches and immunisation sessions.
• Field data collection: Basic field data collection, referral and follow-up records.

Soft Skills

• Community engagement: Respectful, culturally appropriate engagement with leaders, VHTs and households.
• Confidentiality: Handling beneficiary and health information securely.

Pay and benefits are not listed for this Health Assistant post, so raise them only after an offer. To judge an offer, check a gross figure with the Uganda take-home pay calculator (PAYE and NSSF) and compare it with our guide to NGO salaries in Uganda.

• Four posts across Amudat, Nabilatuk, Nakapiripirit and Napak.
• Open to certificate and diploma holders.
• Help close immunisation gaps for zero-dose children.
• Work hands-on with VHTs and community leaders.
• Support early reporting of measles and cholera alerts.
• Gain field experience with an international humanitarian organisation.

Apply online through the Action Against Hunger application page, which holds the full job description and application form. Applications close on Monday, 16 November 2026.

• Checked on 12 November 2026 against Action Against Hunger's official advert.
• Closing date confirmed as 16 November 2026. NextRoleHub closes the listing at 23:59 Kampala time that day.
• The application link goes to the employer's own page or email. Applying is free; report anyone who asks for money.
• Before you apply, read our guide: How to find NGO jobs in Uganda. Work out your pay with the take-home pay calculator.