Working for Change 15
Here are some other activities that can help improve health in
a community:
• Share information. Find ways to spread information about
the common health problems in your community, so that
everyone will know about them.
• Form support groups. Women who share common
problems—such as women who have survived rape or
abuse, breastfeeding mothers, women with disabilities, or
sex workers—can form groups to support each other and
work together to overcome their problems.
424
starting a support
group
In Zimbabwe, the Musasa Project was created to help women who suffered from
violence, particularly violence in the home and sexual assault. Musasa found that
women who were beaten by their par tners were not protected by the law. Many
people said that men should have power over women because that was the way it
had always been, or because it was par t of their community’s beliefs. These people
also said that regular beatings reminded women of their ‘place’.
Musasa’s goal is to change this attitude
through public education and by counseling
those who have survived violence. In
this way, women, men, teachers, students,
police, and health workers are learning
that violence is an abuse of power. Musasa
plans to set up a house where women and
children can stay when they are in danger.
• Work toward more independence. Projects that help
women earn money and improve their working conditions
also help women start to make their own decisions and
gain self-esteem.
In a tiny Mayan village in
Guatemala, a group of women
formed a weaving group. They
sold their weavings through a
cooperative store for women’s
crafts in the capital city. The
women now earn more income
than most of the men in their
area. As a result, women have
gained new status in their families
and communities and have more
opportunities in their lives.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012