The creation of Health Actions for Women has been a labor of love initiated by a group of women devoted to ensuring that the worldâs poorest and most vulnerable women gain access to information and improve their lives. This effort grew out of the Hesperian newsletter, the Womenâs Health Exchange, a collaboration among community organizers and womenâs health educators. Dr. Melissa Smith, the medical editor of Where Women Have No Doctor and a contributor to the Exchange, convened a steering group with Hesperian staff members to shape and guide the project. Our deep appreciation goes to this international group of remarkable women â Lucille Atkin along with Deborah Billings, Mirai Chatterjee, Jill Hackett, May Haddad, Catherine Muthoni, Pallavi Patel, Paula Rojas, Paola Sesia, and Aruna Uprety â who so generously contributed their knowledge, experience, creativity and time to move this project from a dream to a reality. Jane Maxwell deserves special recognition for nurturing this project and its process, passionately engaging the participation of a wide and varied international network of community-based groups and individuals.
Field testing by 41 community-based partners in 23 countries brought together diverse groups of younger and older women, groups that combined adolescent girls with young married women, and mixed gender groups. An astounding 1,400 people participated in discussions, tried out activities, and submitted their feedback and insights about the issues most important to their communities.
Many thanks to the following community-based groups who contributed so much of their hearts, time, and experiences to help us make this book as useful as possible to women all over the world:
These organizations have been invaluable in supporting the development of this book in many ways: Ipas, The Youth Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health Program (GOJoven) and Adolescent Girlsâ Advocacy & Leadership Initiative (AGALI) of the Public Health Institute, Global Fund for Women, and CARE, Peru.
And a heartfelt thanks to the countless others who gave so freely of their time, talents and support, especially:
Oladayo Afolabi
Maria Aguilar
Sajida Arif
Sarah Arshad
Ximena Avellaneda Diaz
Magdalena Bacalando
Erick Ballena
Memory Banda
Maggie Bangser
Enhjargal Banzragch
Esther Barajas
John Bergez
Deborah Bickel
Patricia Ravelo Blancas
Sera Bonds
James Briggs
James Brooks
Hallie Brown
August Burns
Jenna Burton
Sarah Buttrey
Blanca Castanon
Emma Delfina Chirix
Haile Eshe Cole
Kellee Coleman
Gina Conde
Elizabeth Cox
Miatta Darwolor
Junice Demeterio-Melgar
Meagan Demitz
Karin DeNevi
Ivonne Diaz del Valle
Milka Dinev
Hector Dominguez
Lina Echeverri
Shalini Eddens
Christina Ekpedzor
Mary Ellsberg
Teresa Emeterio
Greta-Stina Engelbert
Elena Esquiche
Kurt Eulau
Paul Farmer
Rudy A. Felipe
Audrey Fernandes
Miriam Ford
Latanya Mapp Frett
Graciela Freyermuth
Edith Friedman
Alanna Galati
Del Garcia
Iris Garcia
Daria Garina
Michela Garrison
Connie Gates
Araceli Gil
Jaclyn Gilstrap
Anna Giske
Maenna Glenn
Laura Goldman
Jacob Goolkasian Ishan Gordon
For their generous financial support of this project, we thank the following foundations: AHS Foundation; Arntz Family Foundation; Cogan Family Foundation; Conservation, Food and Health Foundation; Cornell Douglas Foundation; Flora Family Foundation; Ford Foundation; Grousbeck Family Foundation; International Foundation; Ipas; Kadoorie Charitable Foundation; Lalor Foundation; Lakeshore Foundation; May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust; New Field Foundation; North Star Fund; Overbrook Foundation; Partnership Foundation; School for Advanced Research; United Methodist Church Womenâs Division; Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation; West Foundation; and WestWind Foundation.
We are also grateful for the generosity of the many individuals who contributed financially to this project, with special thanks to: Carolyn Bain, Fam Bayless, Sally and Alan Black, Marjorie Boetter, Betty Bottler, Paula Brentlinger, Kay Bullitt, Tina Bullitt, Morry Cater, Lynn Chapman, Karen Daubert and Jared Smith, Ann Dittmar, Barbara and Paul Freeman, Meg Fuell, Leslie Grace, Caroline Hale, Charles A. Hale and Lenore Hale, Roger Hale, Theodore Held, Jun Hurt, Elizabeth and Jeff Klein, Jim Krieger and Kimberly Wicklund, William Lankford, George Martin, Linda Mason, Jane Maxwell, Gary and Linda Oman, Wenda OâReilly, Joana and L. Scott Ramos, Margaret Rosenfeld, Ollie Royer, Ruth Sherer, Michael Shimkin, Roslyn Solomon and David Groff, Alec and Jane Stevens, Margaret and David Thouless, Barbara Trenary, Jean Walkinshaw and Diana Weihs.
Melissa Smith thanks Charles Hale, and Amalia and Sofia Smith Hale for their abiding support, wise counsel, love and accompaniment throughout the book development process; and my parents, Dorothy and Palmer Smith, for their example of working for the common good. I also thank the community health workers and midwives who I have had the privilege of working with in Central America and Mexico, whose creativity and passion for social justice have guided my own lifeâs path. Sarah Shannon thanks the women of El Salvador, whose tireless work for social justice and gender equality has inspired me and so many others; and Pedro, Mercedes, Phyllis, Robin and other colleagues from Conta for all you taught me about being a popular educator. Kathleen Vickery thanks the remarkable women who founded Isis International in Santiago, Chile, and all who have shared their wisdom, struggles and visions of change through the Latin American and Caribbean Womenâs Health Network. Their pioneering advocacy helped midwife the global womenâs health movement and inspired my contributions to this book.
