Peer educator and community kidney champion

Over 18,000 people in Peterborough are estimated to be living with kidney disease and the numbers of people needing dialysis for end stage kidney disease is growing.

We want to change this. We want to improve earlier diagnosis for those most at risk of kidney disease so that they have access to treatments sooner.

As part of a new team of peer educators you will use your knowledge and understanding of your local community to spread awareness of kidney disease and the importance of kidney health checks particularly if people have conditions which can lead to kidney disease such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to be trained and part of this team in Peterborough particularly in South Asian and Eastern European communities.

Time commitment: This role can be flexible to work around you with approximately 4-8 hours a month depending upon events.

Expenses: All reasonable expenses (such as travel) will be reimbursed

In your role you will be:

• Meeting with people in your community to raise awareness of kidney disease.
• Helping people in these communities to find out more about their risk of kidney disease and how to look after their kidney health.
• Supporting people to overcome any barriers to engage with healthcare services and where needed follow up with their local GP for kidney disease testing.
• Helping to create educational materials for your community.
• Give talks to local community, faith & cultural groups, and businesses.

What we are looking for in a volunteer:

• Ideally, be a member of the South Asian or Eastern European communities
• Have knowledge of and links with your local community and a desire to act on their behalf
• An interest, passion and enthusiasm for improving kidney health (no medical training is needed)
• Good communication skills and basic presentation skills, to engage on a one-to-one or with a wider audience/small groups
• An ability to speak at least another language, relevant to your community is desirable (but not essential).
• Willingness to explore your local community for more opportunities to reduce health inequalities, promote the project and the work of the charity.
• Willing to complete a DBS check (funded by the charity)

We will support you by:

• Providing training to support you in this role
• Ensuring there is ongoing support and mentoring from the local Peer Education Manager
• Keeping you connected with other peer educators locally
• Providing you with regular charity updates
• Providing agreed out of pocket expenses such as travel.