Encounter of local and western health knowledge in Putumayo

On March 28, the first meeting of indigenous and western health knowledge was held in Mocoa, Putumayo. The dialogue was attended by members of the Departmental Health Secretariat, members of different local health providers and Taitas, wise men and women and representatives of the different indigenous cabildos of the department.

The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Chagra de la Vida Women's Association (ASOMI), was held with the support of the Internews organization, within the framework of the project Rooted in Trust. Our participation in the space was based on the experience of more than 11 years of working with indigenous communities around the right to health and the recognition of their own knowledge. We focused especially in relation to the processes developed in the department of Vaupés around intercultural health.

The dialogue of knowledge began with the construction of the concept of health from the indigenous and western perspectives. Likewise, the importance of building bridges between local knowledge and local institutions was identified in order to strengthen key processes such as the conformation of the Intercultural Indigenous Health System SISPI, which is currently under construction in Putumayo.

For us it is important to accompany spaces in which inter-organizational debates are opened around intercultural health and in which our own knowledge and the collective construction of health and social development processes are recognized.