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