Motuca healthy municipality project: building together a better future

The Brazilian Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Municipality of Motuca and the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo set up in 2002 the Motuca Healthy Municipality project with the aim of improving the population's health and quality of life. The project used a participatory and holistic approach, which addressed the social determinants and structural inequities, and called for strategies of community empowerment, social participation, intersectoral networking and good governance. All local and public actors from rural and urban areas were consulted and participated in the project to collect information on the living conditions and challenges to better wellbeing. This participatory methodology allowed in turn developing cultural and socially appropriate initiatives to improve local governance and standards of living on a long-term basis. Although there is still the challenge to maintain the momentum and reenergize the efforts, the project serves as a model for further efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of participatory intervention and research methodologies to promote health and well-being in communities.