Strengthening the Development of Leadership Among Women in Health Groups
Hualapen, Chile

EPES started in 1982 in Santiago, Chile, as part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile's diaconate efforts to promote the organization and community participation in public health, a program that later expanded to include the city of Concepción.  In 2001 EPES obtained its non profit status.   Over the past twenty-five years, EPES has grown from a small, emergency-response team to a leader of systematic community education and mobilization to improve health services and awareness.  EPES' team of educators and trainers work in the poorest communities to organize the economic, political, and socially disenfranchised and marginalized, who are primarily women, persons living with HIV and victims of family violence.  EPES seeks to inform and promote a more dignified life to the poorest of the poor through community training and guidance, advocacy and support for community health groups to seek enforcement of their rights, and work with local churches to provide health information to the public at large.  Further information can be found at http://www.epes.cl/

EPES' current project, Strengthening the Development of Leadership Among Women in Health Groups in Hualapén, is designed for years 2007-2009.  It attempts to address the primary reasons why public health rights are not enforced in the communities of El Bosque, San Ramón, Hualpén, and Talcahuano.  EPES seeks to organize its work in three program areas:  organization of public groups, promotion of citizen participation in public health issues, and strengthening of local public groups through training and advocacy efforts. 

The project seeks to strengthen the development of collective capabilities and leadership in women's health issues, from a gender perspective and rights that will highlight the contributions of women to health care, as well as to submit proposals and exercise citizen control over health services.  It proposes to train 51 women from five established health groups from diverse sub-sections of the community of Hualpén, in southern Chile, near the city of Concepcion.  This model has proven successful as EPES health care trainers and service groups reached over 5,000 people during 2005.  It is believed that in 2007 approximately 8,000 living in the community of Hualpén will participate, which has a total population of 80,539.

The key objectives of this project include the support of the participatory planning process of the five community health care groups and of the Monitoring Group "Zenobia Cerda Z," which will report on local progress through its newsletter that is distributed to local public health offices, municipalities, and other local organizations.  The project endeavors to strengthen the collective capacities and leadership development through the sharing of tools

and resources that will allow the visibility of the contribution of women in health care and develop skills to propose citizen control of health services.

The EPES training group will:  provide advice and counsel to the Board of Monitoring Groups that meet twice a month for one full year; provide advice and counsel to the General Meetings of Monitor Groups that meet once a month for one full year; and assess the development and evaluation of the work plans of the Monitor Groups.  This is done twice a year during three hour sessions.  In addition they will provide physical support to the events sponsored by the Monitor Groups.