On June 6, Socios En Salud held the III Meeting of Community Health Agents at the Lima Chamber of Commerce. The event brought together dozens of leaders who accompany their communities from the territory, promoting wellness and strengthening the link between families and the health system.
The day was a real party. There were welcome greetings, socio-dramas, recognitions and raffles. It was also a space for reuniting community agents from different districts of Lima, who shared learning and experiences on the challenges of community work in diverse contexts.
For Socios En Salud, this celebration is also a way of renewing the collective commitment. The event not only recognized the progress made, but also reaffirmed the will to build together a fairer, more humane and participatory system, where community health workers are valued as key actors in the transformation of the territories.
Las agentes comunitarias de salud de los distintos programas de SES recibieron un justo homenaje en el III Encuentro de Agentes Comunitarias de Salud.
Foto de Julio López / SES
Dialogue for a law that recognizes community work
One of the central moments of the meeting was the dialogue on the progress made towards the modification of the Community Health Agent Law. With almost two decades in force, this regulation is in the process of being updated to fully recognize the role, commitment and impact of community health agents in the country.
Participating in the panel were community leaders, specialists from the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and representatives of allied organizations. They agreed on the need for a law that guarantees fair and sustainable conditions for the exercise of this fundamental work.
The panel was made up of Dr. Magaly Blas, director of the Mamás del Río project; Carmen Rosa Vilela Vargas, president of the Community Agents Network; Yuri Alegre, executive director of Health Promotion of MINSA; and Rosa Elvira Sánchez Cruz, community health agent of Socios En Salud.
The exchange was also an opportunity to listen to experiences from the territory. The community agents shared how their work transforms lives, but also involves efforts that deserve recognition. This dialogue reaffirmed that moving towards a new law is a shared and achievable goal if built in a participatory manner.
En el diálogo por una nueva Ley del Agente Comunitario de Salud participaron Yuri Alegre, director ejecutivo de Promoción de la Salud del MINSA; la Dra. Magaly Blas, directora del proyecto Mamás del Río; Carmen Rosa Vilela Vargas, presidenta de la Red de Agentes Comunitarios; y Rosa Elvira Sánchez Cruz, agente comunitaria de salud de Socios En Salud.
Foto de Julio López / SES
Recognition for work that transforms lives
The event also included an emotional act of recognition of outstanding community health agents for their leadership, perseverance and commitment to community accompaniment. Some of them have been promoting wellness in their communities for more than five years, articulating with health centers and sustaining care networks.
For Socios En Salud, community agents are the heart of the care model. And celebrating them is a way of remembering that the transformation of the health system begins in the neighborhoods, when a woman knocks on a door and asks how she can help.
