SOPHA Program
Welcome to the SOPHA Program
The Strengthening of Public Health Associations (SOPHA) Program is the flagship global health initiative of the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), reflecting its values and principles internationally. SOPHA provides financial and technical support to strengthen developing country public health associations (PHAs) to lead and advocate for health, and promote and support broad public participation in health issues and actions. Since 1985, SOPHA has supported PHAs in 30 countries.
SOPHA celebrates 25 Years of cooperation with Public Health Associations around the World!
The Strengthening of Public Health Associations (SOPHA) Program celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2010, marking CPHA’s continued commitment to supporting the development of national Public Health Associations (PHAs) worldwide and the strengthening of civil society’s voice for a strong public health sector.
The SOPHA Program will mark this anniversary during CPHA Centennial conference in June 2010 in Toronto with public events, including both oral and poster presentations and a special publication which will be launched at the Conference.
SOPHA would like to give a special thanks to all its partners and supporters for 25 years of sustained collaboration!
For more information on the CPHA Centenary and SOPHA’s 25th Anniversary, please visit: cpha100.ca/sopha
Click on the following links to learn more about the SOPHA Program:
What's New
III Nicaraguan Congress of Public Health
The Nicaragua Public Health Association (ANSAP) will be hosting the Third Nicaragua Public Health Congress in Managua, November 3-5, 2010. The theme of the Congress is “The social determinants of health, a transformative approach to public health”.
For more information, please visit www.ansap.org.
SOMASAP Joins the SOPHA Program!
CPHA and the SOPHA Program are pleased to welcome its newest partner, the Mali Society of Public Health (Société malienne de santé publique), SOMASAP. Based out of Bamako the SOMASAP was created in June 2008 with a mission of contributing to improvements in the health of populations by participating in public, private and community health actions in Mali.
The SOPHA Program will provide support to strengthen the institutional capacity of this burgeoning public health association and support it as it begins to implement public health activities targeting elementary schools and communities in the Banconi-Plateau district of Bamako.
SOPHA Partners present at the Canadian Conference on International Health (CCIH) in Ottawa
In October 2009, five representatives of partner Public Health Associations travelled to Ottawa from their respective countries of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Uganda to attend and participate in the 16th annual Canadian Conference on International Health (CCIH); the theme of which was Health Equity: Our Global Responsibility.
Three of the partners presented their activities in a well attended session on “Public Health Associations and the Social Determinants of health in Eastern and Southern Africa”, which featured the following presentations from delegates:
- Edio Paulino (Mozambique): The Zimpeto community Health Promotion Experience;
- Violet Chituzu Sichinga (Malawi): The Masasa Water and Sanitation Project;
- Dr. D.K. Sekimpi (Uganda): Community Development using Immunization as an entry Point; and
- Violette Pedneault, SOPHA Program Director: The Strengthening of Public Health Associations Program.
The CCIH Conference provided delegates with an opportunity to share experiences, visit other organizations in Canada and learn about international public health experiences.
From left to right: Yvette Saya (Congo-Brazzaville), Deo Sekimpi (Uganda), Brenda Ogembo (Ottawa University, PhD student), James Chauvin (CPHA), Violette Pedneault (SOPHA), Edio Paulino (Mozambique), Violet Sichinga (Malawi), Margarita Guevara (Nicaragua), Tatiana Ulloa (York University, translator).
The SOPHA Program at the World Congress on Public Health in Istanbul, Turkey
CPHA supported the participation of over five delegates representing its partner public health associations in Cameroon, Congo (Brazzaville), Haiti, Nicaragua and Mozambique to the 12th World Congress on Public Health (Istanbul: April 27–May 1, 2009), organized by the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) and hosted by the Turkish Public Health Association.
The SOPHA delegates were all actively implicated in a variety of sessions as participants, presenters, moderators and session organizers. Sessions in which these partner PHAs were involved and their activities highlighted included:
- Oral session on governance as a critical element for PHA success (Quebec and Nicaragua;
- Oral session on the influence that Public Health Associations have on public health policy (Canada, Serbia and Mozambique);
- Oral session on the use of information technologies to enhance public health capacity building (Canada, Cameroon and ECSAPHA);
- Oral session on regional cooperation of PHAs in Africa (Cameroon and ECSAPHA);
- Poster presentation on building community leadership to resolve local health problems in the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).
Many of the session presentations, keynote speaker notes and a copy of the Istanbul public health declaration can be found on the WFPHA website: www.wfpha.org
Delegates from the CPHA SOPHA and CIII-2 Programs at the 12th World Congress on Public Health in Istanbul, Turkey.
From left to right: Mr. J-J. Akamba (Cameroon); Dr. J.R. Antoine (Haiti); Mr. M. Alles (CPHA-SOPHA); Dr. N. Zamora (Nicaragua); Ms. V. Pedneault (CPHA-SOPHA); Ms. Yvette Saya (Congo-Brazzaville); Back left: Mr. Gaby Jabbour; Dr. D.K. Sekimpi (Uganda); Furthest right: Ms. Donna Moralejo (CPHA-CIII consultant and SOPHA Review and Evaluation Committee member).
CPHA acknowledges with gratitude the financial support for the SOPHA Program from the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).