Action for Health in the Americas
US Partner of Educación Popular en Salud
Join Friends of EPES for a conversation with Chilean journalist Pascale Bonnefoy to observe the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-backed military coup in Chile
Please Note Updated Time!
Sunday, September 10th from 5-6:00 pm Eastern (2-3:00 Pacific). See the flier below for more information.
Participation in this event is free, but your generous donation to EPES through AHA will help us continue 41 years supporting women and human rights on the ground in Chile.
Dear friends of EPES,
The world always looks fresher in spring, and observant readers will notice that this spring Update has a fresh, new look—we’ve changed not only the color palette, but also, to some extent, the content. Beginning with this issue, we’ll provide background on one key project each time, with shorter updates on some of the other activities and projects. We look forward to hearing your feedback on what works well and what works less well for you.
In this Update, we turn the spotlight on the humanitarian crisis at the border between Chile and Peru, and EPES’ work to advance health and dignity for migrants. With support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, EPES is working with immigrant and community activists to provide emergency resources and alleviate immediate needs, while advocating for changes to the policies that create such needs. As always, I am bowled over by EPES’ commitment and by their ability to respond to critical situations in a timely, respectful and effective manner. As in other programs, EPES works on several levels—locally with workshops and activities for immigrant women, nationally with the National Network of Organizations of Migrants and Pro- Migrants, and regionally with ACT Alliance (a coalition of over 140 churches and faith-based organizations working in long-term development, advocacy and humanitarian assistance).
Further on in the Update, you will find shorter pieces about other projects. I’m especially excited about the resumption of in-person training in popular education methods, after interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2010, 225 people from 29 countries (including 8 in Africa) and 18 Lutheran Churches have attended the International Training Course on Popular Education for Health (La Escuela). See www.epes.cl for more photos and information about the Escuela and other EPES activities.
When Rabbi Joachim Prinz, Holocaust survivor and civil rights leader, addressed the 1963 March on Washington (incidentally, immediately before Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous I Have a Dream speech), he said something that sums up the EPES spirit: “Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man’s [sic] dignity and integrity.” EPES operates on the principle that we are all each other’s neighbors, and thus everyone’s dignity and integrity are as important to us as our own. To me, that is the meaning of loving our neighbors as ourselves. We should not only speak our love, but act on it. Loving our neighbors means acting on our love, standing in solidarity with them. I think you’ll agree with me that EPES exemplifies the precept.
As do you, in your continuing support for EPES’ important work. Please accept our profound thanks for accompanying EPES on this long road and acting with EPES, out of love.
In solidarity and peace,
Christina Mills MD FRCPC
President, Action for Health in the Americas
From Argentina, Nicaragua, Colombia, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and several Chilean provinces, 19 community health activists, immigrant rights advocates, church workers, and teachers gathered in Santiago, Chile January 15–25 for EPES Foundation’s 12th International Training Course on Popular Education in Health.
Check out this special edition of the EPES Update to hear about this year’s participants and what they learned and accomplished!
Donate to the 40th Anniversary Fund here!
Dear friends of EPES,
As I write this, I am still basking in the afterglow of EPES’ 40th anniversary celebration—this Special Edition EPES Update will explain why! It was exciting and moving to review the history of EPES’ work and meet some of the many people who have benefited from it, and helped make it happen. I am deeply awed by the depth and breadth of EPES’ contributions. If you haven’t had an opportunity to donate yet, or if you wish to make a special donation to honor the 40th anniversary, please take a moment to do it now. Your contribution will be welcomed and put to good use in the continuing struggle for health and human dignity.
With heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support, I wish you and your families peace and health as we move into a new year.
In solidarity,
Christina Mills MD FRCPC
Donate to the 40th Anniversary Fund here!
Dear friends of EPES,
I am so excited about EPES’ 40th anniversary that I can barely sit still long enough to compose this letter—I know I’m not alone in feeling I truly need the boost this celebration will provide!
Like most of the rest of the world, Chile is still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, the personal and social trauma inflicted by the pandemic were compounded by the devastating results of the constitutional referendum on September 4. It’s hardly an overstatement to say that, if the draft had been approved, Chile would have had the world’s most progressive constitution, with positive implications for health, the environment, education, indigenous rights, human rights generally, and much more. But our hopes were dashed, and now Chile will have to begin a new process to replace the Constitution imposed by the dictatorship 42 years ago. There is no question that Pinochet’s constitution must go: 86% of Chileans were clear about that. The question now is how to come up with a draft that will be acceptable to a majority of Chileans. The rejection campaign outspent the approval campaign by at least ten to one. Clearly, Chile’s wealthy elites will do whatever they can to block substantive change.
Meanwhile, EPES staff continue their vital work for health and dignity for all. The November 2022 Update will tell you about EPES’ critical activities in mental health, nutrition and food sovereignty, and human (especially migrant) rights. There is a thread of connection in all these programs, as they bring together diverse communities—immigrant, First Nations, urban— over shared problems, and encourage them to develop collective solutions. I look forward to being in Chile to celebrate EPES’ extraordinary 40 years of working for justice, dignity and health, and to share in their recommitment to the work ahead, of building a brighter future for Chile. I hope you feel these connections too, because it is your steadfast support that makes the work possible.
Thank you for all you do, and for your continued support of EPES.
In solidarity and peace,
Christina Mills MD FRCPC
PS And. dear friends, if you are able to make an additional or increased donation this year in honor of the 40th anniversary, we will be more than grateful!
Action for Health in the Americas