PHA-Exchange> In preparation of PHA2 No.29 (3)

[Claudio]

From: David Werner 

Dear Dr Banerji,

Thank you for excellent and perceptive note on the the importance of what I call "relevant education" -- the learning process for building a more equitable and healthy world. As I see it, "relevant education" is that which provides an open-ended learning environment whereby oppressed peoples (and I would like to think the oppressors and decision makers as well) can analyze the forces, policies, power structures, and belief systems that determine the relative justice and injustices of our social order, and then enables people to collectively explore a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable alternatives. 

I think your mention of the pioneers of this empowering "education for change" process is right on the mark: certainly Feire and Illich -- along with Gandhi's and Vinoba Bhave's "Nai Talim" learning-by-by-doing schools for Dalit children. Indeed, it was my visit to India, to one of these incredible Nai Talim schools near Bangalore when I was in my 20's, that got me started on a path of alternative education that eventually evolved into the approach we took with Community Based Health Care in Mexico -- as documented in our book "Helping Health Workers Learn."  Likewise, Rabindranath Tagore has long been one of my heroes in the area of "education of liberation" (My mother studied under Tagore when he was at Harvard, and read me his "Crescent Moon" poems when I was a child.)      

I am sorry to learn that you won't be at PHA2, because your voice and vision are very important to keeping the priorities of the Assembly duly focused on the essential issues. Unfortunately, I will not be there either.

I am glad that you continue to receive our "Newsletter's from the Sierra Madre."  The last two issues explore the health situation in Cuba, from which the rest of the world could learn a great deal (but probably won't).  Our newsletters, along with all our my books are now completely and freely accessible online on www.healthwrights.org.  Also take a look at our Politics of Health Knowledge Network: www.politicsofhealth.org, which now covers a lot of important new ground.  Among the 400 or so articles the site now includes, a number have been taken from the PHA Exchange -- which is a wonderful resource!  

In solidarity,

David Werner


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