Box 3.

The Network of Healthy Communities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Launched in 2004, the Rio de Janeiro based Network of Healthy Communities is composed of a mix of community-based organizations (CBOs) and the Centre for Health Promotion (CEDAPS) - an organization working on empowerment and health equity. The 150 member CBOs comprise a mix of Women’s and Resident’s Associations as well as cultural, religious and citizen rights groups which collectively represent a population of over 1.3 million people. The majority of the leaders of these organizations are women (68%), mostly middle-aged, and African-Brazilian (75%). Most use personal resources to develop activities for around 150,000 direct beneficiaries, on issues such as domestic or street violence, provision of cultural and sports activities, prevention of diseases, and poor nutrition. A wide range of local development programs are among the outcomes, including HIV/AIDS prevention centres; distribution of 500,000 condoms per year; training & education; nutrition and physical activity programmes; life skills for adolescents; promoting access to health services and provision of emergency help. Source55 , 56