Hello friends of EPES and AHA!

Most of you haven’t heard from me before, but I thought I’d give Chris, our Board President, a break from writing a letter this time. As I was proofreading this EPES Update – specifically the article about EPES turning 33 – I got to thinking how absolutely amazing EPES is and felt the need to share those thoughts. While I’ve always known EPES is a year older than me, for some reason I was struck by the fact that I’m 32 and EPES is 33. It could be that now, as responsibilities in my life and career pile up, I can better appreciate what an incredible feat it is for these four women to have founded a grassroots organization in very challenging circumstances, grown it to what it is today, and still be so committed 33 years later. I’m in awe of them and all the others who have become a part of EPES since 1982.

I feel incredibly lucky to have met Karen 9 years ago and been introduced to the work of EPES, which led to me helping with the development of Action for Health in the Americas and later serving on the board. Since those of us on the board are volunteers, other responsibilities sometimes keep us from doing more, but something keeps us connected and committed to EPES even a continent away. I know the same goes for all of you. As AHA board secretary I keep the records for donations and know that many of you donate to EPES year after year (often multiple times a year) and see that your support is critical to EPES’s continued operations in Chile and has allowed us to spread their model beyond Chile.

If you’ve known EPES for a while – as most of you have – you can see how much has been accomplished when you read through this Update. I remember helping to write one of the first grant applications for the work EPES would do with tobacco control in Chile, and now EPES is presenting its accomplishments at a prominent international conference. The International Training Course now has over 110 graduates from 15 countries. And Llareta just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Truly an inspiration to me, and hopefully, to all of you as well.

Thank you for your continued support!

Meghan Ochal

Secretary, Action for Health in the Americas Board

EPESUpdateMay2015

New York friends of AHA and EPES – please join us!

AHA and EPES would like to wish you all a happy 2015!

As has happened for the past five years, EPES is jumping right in and starting the year with one of its biggest undertakings – the annual International Training Course in Popular Education in Health. Now in its sixth year, participants are arriving in Santiago this weekend – and will spend the next two weeks immersed in hands-on learning about community-based strategies for health that they can bring back to their own communities near and far. These participants will join the 90 graduates from 15 countries who have already gone forth from the first five trainings to spread the EPES model.

This year, EPES is excited to welcome Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker and public health advocate Lisa Russell as a special guest instructor, who will highlight her film Poder! and discuss how video production can be an exercise in women’s empowerment and involving creative communities in chronicling the fight for dignity and health.

You can read more about the planned course content, the faculty, and experiences of past students here; AHA looks forward to sharing the outcomes of the course in the coming weeks!