The Rural Women’s Health Project (RWHP) assists rural women and their families to strengthen their understanding of critical health and family issues. The RWHP works with the communities they serve to create realistic solutions to issues ranging from the prevention of HIV/AIDS, tobacco use and sexual violence to addressing workplace concerns and healthcare access.
The RWHP’s approach centers on three main concepts: modeling good health behaviors, providing realistic options to problems, and the importance of “each one, teach one.” This philosophy is put into practice through the production and dissemination of health education training programs, curricula and popular education techniques, as well as publications for a wide range of clinics, outreach programs and community and health organizations.
Using visual storytelling as the foundation of our work, we guide community partners to in the development of stories that will be the basis of each project. All of our materials, whether produced individually or collaboratively with other grass-roots organizations, include community evaluation to assure message impact and cultural and linguistic accuracy.
This innovative approach places the power in the hands of the communities, it emphasizes their working together to identify and articulate solutions to their own problems. This empowerment approach replaces feelings of powerlessness with a greater sense of purpose and value among individuals, and strengthens communities as a whole[1].
1 Wallerstein, Nina. “Powerlessness, Empowerment and Health: Implications for Health Promotion Programs.” American Journal of Health Promotion. 6.3 (1992): 198
