Our support for community healthcare providers is inspired by traditional indigenous healthcare practices that have existed for millennia, and also by the Zapatista Health System. With the imposition of capitalist relations and the stigmatization of practices deemed “unscientific”, many communities, while gaining limited access to state-run health care, have lost beneficial traditional practices, often becoming dependent on pharmaceuticals and state-run urban hospitals. Due to persistent racism and to the inferior care available to poor people, indigenous communities are not well-attended.
Alternatively, community health addresses well-being holistically, taking into consideration the soil, the water, how things are grown, and the plants available in our ecosystem, and all of the factors affecting our health. Our work with women from organized communities centers their shared experience and knowledge, in order to build a foundation for health that is rooted in the richness of their own territory.
Drawing on the ‘health promoter’ example from the Zapatista Health System, we support education of community members in the services that are most needed by the community. This strategy defends local knowledge while ensuring that the roles of health care providers within the community are held by those who are trusted and accountable. In this model, unpaid community volunteers chose to participate in ongoing education and practice, in order to then pass on that knowledge in their families and communities.
Over the years, Schools for Chiapas’ work with health promoters has included support and facilitation for educational workshops on herbal medicine, preparations, and nutrition. We have supported autonomous health centers with equipment, supplies, and educational materials whenever possible. Now, as the Zapatista communities have been involved in internal reorganization, we have begun working with independent communities who are not necessarily Zapatista support bases, but who are organized along Zapatista principles.
We are thrilled to be working currently with women from the communities of the Frente Cívico Tonalteco on the coast of Chiapas, organizing workshops in herbal medicine and prevention and providing materials which support traditional health practices.
In its first year of this program, 2024, we have worked with women from 8- 12 organized communities. In 2025, we hope to extend this work to several more communities.
**We are very sorry if any part of the previous version of this page was misleading and we want to clarify that the funds raised at this time are not going to Zapatista communities, but to support the efforts of indigenous communities inspired by the Zapatista communities to build their own autonomy in health.