Recently, we lost Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor who became a French politician and advocate for women’s health. Veil’s message was that women forced into a corner by laws and social pressures are left with dangerous health choices, neglecting their safety or trusting the wrong people, and ultimately risking their lives. Honest and trustworthy information is one of the best protections there is, presenting options and encouraging sharing.

Any woman can be an educator or advocate, any group can work together to gather and share information that changes lives and creates a network of support. Hesperian is offering a free teaching guide for Health Actions for Women. This teaching guide, originally designed by a college instructor for classroom use, can help a community health worker or informal women’s group to dig deeper into Health Actions for Women and its innovative — and enjoyable — learning activities.

Hesperian aims to produce health information in the most accessible form possible, because we know that health workers, peers, and teachers know best how to share it with their communities. Please let us know how this new teaching guide helps you make a difference in the health of women — and how we can make it even more empowering.