Health education in times of pandemic: Promoting health among indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are faced with the need to develop intercultural health education strategies from the perspective of health promotion, as a collective empowerment tool to confront the pandemic and for protection and comprehensive health care for indigenous peoples. This chapter describes the alternative educational and pedagogical strategies for conducting a collaborative training course with indigenous empowerment through gathering the knowledge of traditional medicine in communities and creating viable and consensual alternatives for addressing their health problems and solutions. In 2020-2021, a training course in mental health was conducted exclusively to mitigate the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon. It was possible to rethink pedagogical practices, technological tools, the student's culture, the curriculum, and the social environment. This sensitivity demonstrates respect for different cultures, ethnicities, and languages, highlighting intercultural dialogue. The completion of the course evidenced the construction of unpublished knowledge about COVID-19 in promoting self-care and autonomy of indigenous people for decision-making based on healthy choices, which protect life in indigenous villages in the Amazon.