Blacker than Black: Failing to Reach Slum Communities in Disease Outbreaks

Poor economic environments and unstable living spaces, insufficient water supply, inadequate sanitation and high population density create favourable conditions for the spread of infectious diseases. Robust community engagement and communication strategies can help to raise awareness and to develop skills and are crucial to the success of an outbreak response in densely overcrowded urban conditions. Small gains have been made in an urban context and importantly a procedure to reach slum communities in a disease outbreak has not yet emerged. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the urgent need for international agencies to cooperate to develop guidelines on how to effectively reach slum communities in disease outbreaks and to make recommendations for the next steps to resolve the present situation.

http://globalaccesspub.com/open_access/blacker_than_black_failing_to_reach_slum_communities_in_disease_outbreaks_IDI

THE SECRET TO SURVIVING UNEQUAL WORLDS.

Over 30+ of working in unequal worlds I have gather many short stories, some amuzing, some sad some bizzare. As an aside to my CE blog I will post a number of stories for your enjoyment-maybe!

HEALTH ACTIVISM

Health activism involves a challenge to the existing order whenever it is perceived to influence peoples’ health negatively or has led to an injustice or an inequity. The tactics of health activism have continued to evolve along with political opportunity and developments in culture and technology. Cell phone messaging and the internet, for example, are now extensively used in activism to organize rallies and to carry out online tactics.

But what works best in activism-what are the examples of success and failure? 

Why does community empowerment matter-can it change our lives?

I have started this blog to enage people with the issues/theory/practice experiences of using community empowertment approaches-any questions pse ask away.