Network of communities in the fight against AIDS: local actions to address health inequities and promote health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When combined with major social inequities, the AIDS epidemic in Brazil becomes much more complex and requires effective and participatory community-based interventions. This article describes the experience of a civil society organisation, the Centre for Health Promotion (CEDAPS), in the slum commu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Promotion & education 2005, Vol.Suppl 3, p.15-19
Main Authors: Edmundo, Kátia, Guimarães, Wanda, Vasconcelos, Maria do Socorro, Baptista, Ana Paula, Becker, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - diagnosis
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - prevention & control
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - therapy
Brazil
Community Networks
Community-Institutional Relations
Disease Outbreaks
Health Promotion
Humans
Ownership
Poverty
Social Conditions
Urban Population
Vulnerable Populations
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Summary:When combined with major social inequities, the AIDS epidemic in Brazil becomes much more complex and requires effective and participatory community-based interventions. This article describes the experience of a civil society organisation, the Centre for Health Promotion (CEDAPS), in the slum communities (favelas) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using a community-based participatory approach, 55 community organisations were mobilised to develop local actions to address the increasing social vulnerability to HIV/AIDS of people living in squatter communities. This was done through on-going prevention initiatives based on the local culture and developed by a Network of Communities. The community movement has created a sense of "ownership" of social actions. The fight against AIDS has been a mobilising factor in engaging and organising communities and has contributed to raising awareness of health rights. Local actions included targeting the determinants of local vulnerability, as suggested by health promotion workers.
ISSN:1025-3823