Coping with coal: Exploring the experience of communities near a coalfired power plant utilizing descriptive phenomenological approach

Background@#Coal is the largest source of energy on earth and is used to supply electricity in many countries. Unfortunately, as much as it helps light up some communities, coal-fired power plants are also the world's biggest industrial polluters.@*Objectives@#This study investigated the environment and health conditions of the community before, and 20 years after the construction of the coal. It explored the perception of the respondents on the presence of a coal-fired power plant in their community, and determined strategies that can help protect the community against the coal-fired power plant.@*Methodology@#It utilized descriptive phenomenological design using in-depth interviews through snowball sampling. Data were analysed through Colaizzi method and was guided by the health belief model which claims that change can occur if self-efficacy is built in. @*Results@#Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) realization of the deterioration of the environment and the residents' health, (2) awareness on the interplay between economic gain, politics, and impact on health and environment, and (3) recognizing the need for increased community empowerment on health and environment. @*Conclusion@#The presence of a coal-fired power plant in the community brings about negative changes in health and environment. Sustainable efforts to combat such negative effects are needed, and community residents in the vicinity of the power plant need to be empowered to conduct check-and-balance for their own health and environmental safety.

Um arranjo formativo em economia solidária para alunos do fundamental / A formative arrangement in solidarity economy for elementary students / Una adaptación educativa en economia solidaria para alumnos de lo fundamental

Este artigo aborda uma questão relacionada à capacidade do programa de educação integral do MEC vir a contribuir para a autonomia dos estudantes moradores de comunidades pobres. Referenciais teóricos relacionados aos conceitos de autonomia, autogestão, empoderamento comunitário e empreendimento solidário contribuem para a reflexão e sistematização de uma experiência desenvolvida em uma escola municipal de Belo Horizonte, de simulação, planejamento e implementação de um empreendimento solidário, com os estudantes, visando às demandas da comunidade e de forma articulada com ela. Essa reflexão se baseou em pesquisa documental, bibliográfica e empírica e resultou na proposição de uma metodologia a ser aplicada no tempo e espaço da educação integral, por meio de oficinas e atividades de inserção na comunidade, na forma de um arranjo formativo para a educação integral em empreendedorismo solidário, visando à articulação dos recursos e demandas locais de comunidades pobres.

This article talks about the potential of the Fulltime Education Program by MEC to contribute to the autonomy of students who live in poor communities. Theoretical reference related to the concept of autonomy, self-management, community empowerment, and supportive economy contribute to the reflection and systematization of an experience developed in a municipal public school in Belo Horizonte. There the students experienced a simulation of planning and implementing an entrepreneurism from supportive economy, aiming at the demands of the local community and ways of articulating local development articulated with it. This reflection is based on documental, bibliographic and empirical research and resulted in the proposition of a methodology to be applied using the space and hours of the fulltime education in such school, through workshops and activities of insertion and interactivity with the local community, in an educational arrangement at fulltime/integrated education in supportive economy, aiming at the articulation of local resources and demands of local slum or poor communities.

Este artículo aborda el potencial del Programa de Educación a Tiempo Integral del MEC (Programa de Educación Integral) para contribuir a la autonomía de los estudiantes que viven en comunidades de escasos recursos. Las referencias teóricas relacionadas a los conceptos de autonomía, autogestión, empoderamiento comunitario y emprendedorismo solidario contribuyen a la reflexión y sistematización de una experiencia desarrollada en una escuela pública municipal de Belo Horizonte, de simulación de planificación e implementación de un emprendimiento solidario con los estudiantes, dirigido a las demandas de la comunidad local y de forma articulada con la misma. Esta reflexión se fundamenta en investigaciones documentales, bibliográficas y empíricas, dando lugar a la proposición de una metodología aplicable en el tiempo y espacio de la educación integral, a través de talleres y actividades de inserción en la comunidad local, en la forma de una adaptación formativa para la educación integral en emprendedorismo solidario, con el objetivo de articular los recursos y demandas locales de las comunidades de escasos recursos económicos.

Scaling up primary health care in the Philippines: Lessons from a systematic review of experiences of community-based health programs

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> In view of renewed interest in primary health care (PHC) as a framework for health system development, there is a need to revisit how successful community health programs implemented the PHC approach, and what factors should be considered to scale up its implementation in order to sustainably attain ideal community health outcomes in the Philippines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY:</strong> Using the 2008 World Health Report PHC reform categories as analytical framework, this systematic review aimed to glean lessons from experiences in implementing PHC that may help improve the functioning of the current decentralized community-level health system in the country, by analyzing gathered evidence on how primary health care evolved in the country and how community health programs in the Philippines were shaped by the PHC approach.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>RESULTS:</b> Nineteen (19) articles were gathered, 15 of which documented service delivery reforms, two (2) on universal coverage reforms, three (3) on leadership reform, and one (1) on public policy. The literature described how successful PHC efforts centered on community participation and empowerment, thus pinpointing how community empowerment still needs to be included in national public health thrusts, amid the current emphasis on performance indicators to evaluate the success of health programs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:</strong> The studies included in the review emphasize the need for national level public health interventions to be targeted to community health and social determinants of health as well as individual health. Metrics for community empowerment should be developed and implemented by government towards sustainable health and development, while ensuring scientific validity of community health interventions.</p>

Community Empowerment for Malaria Control and Prevention in Kampung Tong Nibong, Sarawak: An Intervention Study

Tong Nibong is a Bidayuh village located at Sarawak Kalimantan border. Since the year 2004 to 2009, a total of 537 cases of malaria were recorded in Serian District of which 14 cases were reported from Kampung Tong Nibong. Community empowerment programme for malaria infection prevention showed tremendous improvement in implementation. This intervention study aims to gauge the effectiveness of community empowerment approach in malaria elimination programme in Kampung Tong Nibong Serian. An intervention study was conducted with pre and post data collection. Data was collected using validated questionnaire by face to face interview. Universal sampling method was used to select respondents from head of household and post data was collected after intervention activities were carried out within a year of study period. The study showed significant difference on level of knowledge of respondents on vector of malaria between pre and post data with a P < 0.05. There was significant difference between pre and post data on practices on control and prevention of malaria with a P < 0.05. The same goes to level of positive attitude of respondents towards malaria control. In conclusion, the study can be considered successful because there is significant difference in knowledge, attitude and practice among the respondents between pre and post data. This indicates that community empowerment (voluntary participation) measures can be implemented in high risk or endemic areas where malaria is a persistent problem to the community and health institutions faces many limiting factors.​

Soy el que cierra y el que apaga la luz: Cuando el liderazgo de dirigentes comunitarios no empodera a la comunidad / I'm the One Closing and Turning off the Lights: When Leadership Does not Empower Community Leaders to Community

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el capital social en los liderazgos de distintos tipos de organizaciones de base en dos localidades del sur de Chile, y cómo esto influye en los diversos niveles de empoderamiento. Los resultados a partir de datos cualitativos y del análisis de redes sociales muestran que el capital social interno y externo de estas organizaciones se centran en los/las dirigentes, lo que impide que los demás miembros de la comunidad tengan acceso a recursos existentes al interior y al exterior de la organización. Estos hallazgos muestran que no basta con el desarrollo de empoderamiento psicológico en los/las dirigentes para desarrollar empoderamiento organizacional y comunitario.

The aim of the present study is to analyse the social capital in the leadership of diverse kind of grass-roots organisations in two zones of southern Chile and how this inflows on the diverse empowerment levels. The results in base of the social networks qualitative and quantitative data shows that the social capital, both external and internal, are focused on the leaders, which does not allow to the rest of the community members to have access to existent resources inside and outside the organisation. This findings shows that is not enough with the development of the leaders psychological empowerment to develop organisational and community empowerment.

O trabalho psicossocial em rede: uma experiência no município de Cajamar / The psychosocial networking: an experience in the city of Cajamar / El trabajo psicosocial en red: una experiencia en el municipio de Cajamar

Este artigo refere-se a uma prática psicossocial comunitária na qual foi implantado o trabalho em rede, cuja metodologia teve por base o referencial da psicologia comunitária defendido por Montero (2004; 2006). Essa experiência de trabalho em rede foi realizada no Município de Cajamar durante dois anos (2007-2009), com a participação de diferentes atores sociais, dentre eles representantes do poder público (diretorias: cultura, esportes, saúde, assistência social, defesa civil) e da sociedade civil (associações de bairro, pastoral da criança, usuários da assistência social), fórum, representantes de empresas e comércio. A iniciativa dessa intervenção psicossocial visava introduzir uma prática comunitária desde a implantação dos Centros de Referência da Assistência Social (CRAS), tendo em vista romper com aquelas práticas marcadas pelo assistencialismo e clientelismo. A experiência aqui relatada evidencia que as metodologias participativas, que envolvem a população destinatária dos Programas Sociais, promovem a construção de uma cidadania forte, consciente e crítica, como propõe Montero (2004), mas requer que a população assuma a direção dessas ações, não podendo ficar nas mãos do Poder Público.

Based on the theoretical framework of Community Psychology, this article analyses, an experience of a networking held in the city of Cajamar for two years (2007 - 2009) with the participation of different social actors, including government representatives (directors: culture, sports, health, social welfare, civil defense) and civil society (neighborhood associations, child´s pastoral, users of social assistance), representatives of companies and of the commerce. The initiative of this work aimed to consolidate the deployment of Reference Centers for Social Assistance (CRAS) in order to break with practices marked by paternalism and clientelism. The experience reported here shows that participatory methodologies, which involve the target population of social programs, promote the construction of a strong, conscious and critical citizenship, as proposed by Montero (2004), but requires that people have the power of directing these actions, rather than letting them be in the hands of the government.

Este artículo analiza, con base en el referencial teórico de la psicología comunitaria, una experiencia de trabajo en red, realizado en la ciudad de Cajamar durante los años de 2007 a 2009, con la participación de diferentes actores sociales, como representantes del poder público (directores de cultura, deportes, salud, asistencia social, defensa civil) y de la sociedad civil (asociaciones de barrios, pastoral de los niños, usuarios de la asistencia social), fórum, representantes de empresas y del comercio. El objetivo de este trabajo en red era consolidar la implantación de los Centros de Referencia de la Asistencia Social (CRAS), afín de hacer una ruptura con prácticas marcadas por el asistencialismo y el clientelismo. La experiencia aquí presentada muestra que las metodologías participativas, que incluyen la población destinataria de los Programas Sociales, promueven la construcción de una ciudadanía fuerte, consciente y crítica, como propone Montero (2004), pero exigen que la población asuma la dirección de estas acciones, no la dejando en las manos del poder público.

Empoderamento individual, empoderamento comunitário e conscientização: um ensaio teórico / Individual empowerment, community empowerment and awareness: a theoretical essay

A linguagem da Pedagogia da Libertação tem sido aplicada por vários intelectuaispertencentes aos mais diversos campos, como à Psicologia Social, à Medicina Comunitária e à Educação. Dentre os termos discutidos encontramos dois de extrema importância: empoderamento (no inglês empowerment) e conscientização. Ambos têm sido aplicados, muitas vezes, de forma confusa ou incompleta. Nessa via, confiamos que empoderamento econscientização são termos que precisam ser pensados conjuntamente, de modo que possamos entender suas aproximações e diferenças. Para tal, realizamos dois empreendimentosmetodológicos. Primeiro, fizemos uma pesquisa sistemática nas obras de autoria e/ou co-autoria de Paulo Freire disponibilizadas digitalmente na Biblioteca Digital Paulo Freire e na Rede de Educação Cidadã, utilizando os descritores relacionados ao nosso objeto de reflexão. Após o levantamento, então, entramos no nível de revisão conceitual, iniciando pela categoria analítica empoderamento, para, após, seguir em direção à categoria conscientização, com o intuito demostrar a significância de ambos, especialmente para o campo da psicologia social. Nossa análiseindica a relevância de incorporar a noção de empoderamento no processo de libertação, embora esse termo esteja relacionado à ideia de auto emancipação e de progresso (perspectiva individualista). Considerando que a libertação é sempre um ato social, o empoderamento é somente um pequeno passo em direção à libertação, sendo a conscientização o processo que possibilita a transformação social.

The language of Pedagogy of Liberation has been applied by several intellectualsbelonging to various fields, such as Social Psychology, Community Medicine and Education. For Pedagogy of Liberation, two concepts can be highlighted as extremely important: empowerment and awareness (conscientização, in Portuguese). Often, both concepts have been applied in aconfusing or incomplete way. In this situation, empowerment and awareness are terms that need to be problematized together , so that their similarities and differences can be understood . Tothis end, two methodological developments have been made. First , a systematic search in the Paulo Freire’s works, digitally available in the Freire’s Digital Library (Biblioteca Digital PauloFreire) and in the Citizen Education’s Net (Rede de Educação Cidadã), was taken. The empowerment and awareness descriptors guided the search. After, a conceptual review wasperformed in order to show the significance of both concepts. The analysis indicated the importance of incorporating the notion of empowerment in the process of liberation, although this term is related to the idea of self-emancipation and progress (individualistic perspective). Considering the liberation process is always a social act, empowerment is only a small step towards liberation, being awareness the process that enables social transformation.

Empoderamiento comunitario en salud en tres municipios cubanos / Community empowerment within health in three Cuban municipalities

La participación comunitaria y el empoderamiento son vistos como elementos importantes para mejorar la salud e incrementar la calidad de vida de las comunidades.Objetivos: presentar una dinámica participativa dentro de la planificación-implementación-evaluación en salud en contextos intervenidos y mostrar su potencial para incrementar la participación comunitaria y el empoderamiento a nivel local.Métodos: presentamos una investigación-acción participativa donde se utilizó la metodología participativa CPPE (Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation), adaptada al contexto cubano para la planificación-implementación-evaluación de intervenciones de salud. Durante el proceso participaron líderes de salud, líderes formales (intersectorialidad) y líderes informales de áreas de salud_consejos populares. Se realizaron talleres de planificación y/o evaluación_planificación y se implementaron intervenciones. Las fuentes de información fueron: la observación participante en los talleres, las relatorías y la evaluación de los talleres, algunas entrevistas a profundidad, los Reportes Estandarizados de los Estudios de Casos de la Metodología y los Reportes Estandarizados de los Estudios de Casos de la Implementación.Resultados: la implementación metodológica permitió mejorar el proceso de la toma de decisiones, tuvo gran aceptación y hubo un interés creciente por la sostenibilidad del proceso.Conclusiones: se evidenció el potencial de esta metodología para reforzar los procesos de participación-empoderamiento comunitarios en las comunidades intervenidas. En todas las localidades los diferentes tipos de líderes y gran parte de las comunidades pasaron de ser colaboradores en las intervenciones de salud, a constituirse en actores fundamentales en la toma de decisiones...

Community participation and empowerment are seen as important elements to improve health and enhance the quality of life of communities.Objectives: submit a participatory in planning-implementation-evaluation in health contexts intervened and show its potential to increase community participation and local empowerment.Methods: present a participatory action research where the participatory methodology was used CPPE (Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation) adapted to the Cuban context for planning-implementation-evaluation of health interventions. During the process involved health leaders, formal leaders (intersectoral) and informal leaders of health areas - Councils. Planning workshops were held and / or assessment - planning and interventions were implemented. The sources of information were: participant observation in workshops, rapporteurs and evaluation of the workshops, in-depth interviews, the Case Studies of the methodology report and the Case Studies of the implementation reports.Results: the methodology implementation improved the decision-making process, the methodology was widely accepted, there was a growing interest in the sustainability of the process. Conclusions: the implementation methodology, favored the process of participation and empowerment within the target communities.In all locations the different types of leaders and much of the communities went from being partners in health interventions, to become key players in the decision-making...

Intervenções psicossociais na comunidade: desafios e práticas / Psychosocial interventions in community: challenges and practices

Neste artigo, apresentamos os desafios teórico-práticos que os profissionais de diferentes áreas sociais têm encontrado em suas práticas de intervenção psicossocial em comunidades de diversos municípios de São Paulo. Entre os grandes desafios estão os limites dos programas sociais propostos pelo poder público, as dificuldades dos agentes externos em desenvolver um trabalho que leve ao fortalecimento da comunidade e a ausência de referenciais teórico-metodológicos que fundamentem as práticas desses agentes. A fim de ilustrar tais desafios, relatamos a experiência de um curso de Psicologia Comunitária e da Libertação no qual discutimos propostas de intervenção comunitária a partir de conceitos desenvolvidos por Martín-Baró (1998) e da contribuição de Maritza Montero (2004) com o Paradigma da Construção e Transformação Crítica. Com base nesses referenciais teóricos, analisamos a relação entre Estado, Programas e Organizações, assim como as contradições existentes entre uma prática social comunitária e as exigências dos planos e programas governamentais.

In this article we present the theoretical-practical challenges that professionals from different social fields face in their practices of social psychological intervention in communities in various cities of São Paulo. Among the largest challenges are the limitations of social programs offered by public authorities, the difficulties of external agents in developing actions that lead to the strengthening of the community, and the absence of theoretical-methodological references that support the practices of these agents. In order to illustrate these challenges, we narrate the experience of a course on Community Psychology and Psychology of Liberation in which we discussed propositions for community intervention from the perspective of concepts developed by Martín-Baró (1998) and the contributions of Maritza Montero (2004) with the Paradigm of Construction and Critical Transformation. Based on these theoretical references we analyze the relation between State, Programs and Organizations as well as the contradictions existing between a community social practice and the demands from the governmental programs and plans.