Network of healthy communities of Rio de Janeiro--Brazil

Poor communities in Rio de Janeiro, which are known as favelas, suffer from various problems related to poor housing, poverty, unemployment, violence and organized crime, and lack of access to basic services, such as health care and education. In order to tackle these determinants, and inspired by WHO's international Healthy Communities/Cities movement, the etwork of Healthy Communities of Rio de Janeiro was formed in 2004. The Network is coordinated by the Center for Health Promotion (CEDAPS) and now includes more than 100 community groups and organizations in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Their aim is to promote health, community development and equity through community empowerment, participation, capacity building and advocacy. The paper describes the work that has been done since the Network's inception and the challenges which they face to reach their goals in the context of a country like Brazil. The Network represents an important landmark of how poor populations can organize themselves in a collective, participatory and constructive way to influence public policy and strive for better conditions of life in disadvantaged settings, like the favelas.