Yenia Silva Correa

April 7-10, the International Congress for Health Promotion is taking place in Havana. The event is being held at the Convention Center, featuring a program consisting of workshops, conferences and lectures in order to exchange educational practices and promote good health.

Regional organizations and international specialists within this field will also be present, with the Convention Center playing host to the Regional Congress for the Promotion of Health in schools; the IX Regional Conference for Education and Promotion of Health within Educational Institutions and the fifth meeting of the Latin American Network of School Health Promoters.

One of the main aims of the conference is to propose strategies to promote healthy lifestyles, with particular interest in health education in schools and universities. Some of notable lectures planned deal with issues such as "Evidence of the effectiveness of the promotion of health in Latin American Schools," lead by Blanca Patricia Mantilla from the Industrial University of Santander (Colombia) and "Education for health: Experiences from the Cuban Ministry of Education," by Yanira Gómez Delgado.

The event will include visits to educational centers designated as health promotion schools, to facilitate interaction between teachers, students and the community. Two of the schools to be visited are, the Villena-Revolución Polytechnic Institute, and Solidaridad con Panamá, a special school for physically disabled pupils.