Criola

Projects include:

1. Câmara Técnica Saúde da Mulher Negra: This project brings together different sectors and resources in order to formulate and contribute to the public policies in the health area that focus on black women's health. Its main objective is to address the high mortality rates of black women in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
2. Omowale's Day: Omowale means, in the West African language of Yoruba, "the daughter that returns home". The objective of this activity is to help black women integrate the traditional Afro-Brazilian health practices with western medical science for better health.
3. Hembadoon Criola - Festival of Art, Culture, Health and Citizenship: An annual event organised by Criola to bring together professionals who make themselves available for public consultations about women's health and preventive self-care.
4. Health Agent Training Project: For this project, training sessions are held to create and distribute informal materials specifically created for black women, both teenagers and adults. Through these workshops and the production of a set of materials, the objective is to create a set of resources which other organisations can then replicate for their own use. Criola collaborates with other groups to expand the available information about health employment strategies for women and about sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/AIDS. This health training is administered over the course of six sessions that occur once every two weeks. The 3-hour sessions provide time to reflect on various themes such as race and class, STIs/AIDS, sexuality, safe sex, responsibility and collective action, and techniques for working in teams, among others. The health agent training has been offered with the support of the Health Minister's CN-STD/AIDS initiative.
5. Publications that address health issues: Criola has published several sets of books that address issues around STIs and techniques for STI/AIDS prevention, violence against women, and the improvement of black women's life conditions. These publications vary in style and format - some are informational manuals and others are collections of essays, interviews and poems bringing together texts by Afro-Brazilian and African-American women. In addition, Criola publishes 3 "bulletins": Boletim Toques (Bulletin Toques) disseminates health information for black women and girls, such as STI and AIDS, maternal mortality; Boletim Outros Toques (Bulletin Toques for Teenagers) specifically addresses black female teenagers; and Bulletin Entre Nós, which focuses on human rights for the black lesbian population.
6. Other Activities related to black women's living conditions:
   
   • Obinrin Odara Workshop: This is a set of 4 workshops that aim to strengthen the identity and raise the self-esteem of black women, adolescents, and girls.
   • Integrated Action: The objective of these activities is to reflect, share experiences, and participate in discussions about topics such as race, health, sexuality, aesthetics, self-esteem, and human rights, as well as the ways to successfully struggle against racism, sexism, and homophobia. Facilitated by Criola, these workshops are offered in communities through agreements between community leaders, neighbourhood groups, residents' associations, and other local organisations. Each year, Criola develops 8 Integrated Actions for black women and teenagers and an additional action for children.
   • Dialogues on Feminism: This activity is administered by community organisers from a variety of different social movements. Monthly debates aim to engage participants in a deep level of reflection and discussion. All topics are approached from a black woman's point of view and look towards the future collaboration of both women and men on these issues.

Women, Girls, Health, Gender, Human Rights.