230021 Education for activism and the struggle for health: The experience of the International People's Health University

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 12:30 PM - 12:50 PM

David Sanders, MRCP , School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Camila Giugliani, MPH , Graduate Studies in Epidemiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Denise Antunes do Nascimento, MPH , Municipal Health Department, Porto Alegre, Brazil
David Legge, MPH , School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
The active involvement of communities in health development (equitable access to health care and action on the determinants of health) was central in the Alma-Ata Declaration but has been ignored in the various versions of selective PHC, particularly UNICEF's GOBI FFF, the World Bank's ‘packages' of cost effective interventions that exclude intersectoral actions and community mobilization. More recently vertical programmes, often funded by Global Health Initiatives, have reinforced a selective technical and curative approach. The People's Health Movement (PHM), a large global network of organizations and individual activists sees civil society action as critical to health development. PHM is committed to strengthening communities' voices on their health, building international solidarity around specific health struggles and collaborating in challenging the negative effects of globalisation. The International People's Health University (IPHU) contributes to the struggle for health by organising opportunities for learning, sharing and planning for health activists, particularly those from Third World countries. The political economy of health and health care, comprehensive PHC, and approaches to community mobilization are core components. Since the first course (Cuenca, 2005), thirteen IPHU short courses have been held in different parts of the world (Bhopal, Vancouver, Atlanta, Dhaka, Cairo, Jaipur, Porto Alegre, London, Thessaloniki, Bangalore, Havana, Kisumu and Guatemala)

Education for activism is challenging in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and delivery arrangements. Evaluations by participants provide unique insights into health activism and the practical challenges facing health activists. Description of these courses and analysis of these insights and challenges will be presented.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the rationale for, content, methodology and effectiveness of an international initiative to educate health activists on the politics of health.

Keywords: Health Activism, Global Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a teacher, researcher and advocate in Public Health snd also active in a social movement for health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.