Women’s health is a political issue: given basic inequalities between men and women, women face much greater risks of disease and poor health. The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has again demonstrated very clearly, how women bear the biggest load of care-work under extremely precarious and difficult conditions. Their health and wellbeing is closely connected to community health, within the larger framework of patriarchy; the economic system; the history of colonialism; cultural norms and ecological crises.

The Popular Education Programme in Cape Town ran a 12-week women’s health courses for the last 3 years. The course was offered through face-to-face workshops in 2018 and 2019, and as an online workshop in 2020. The course is based on the work and experiences of popular education activists and working class women. The curriculum was co-constructed with participants in response to specific questions and issues raised. It was not intended as a fact-packed course but rather a guided opportunity for women to explore a range of health issues and topics.

This ‘toolkit’ is a record of and preparation for workshops. It’s primary aim is to support participants in running similar workshops within their constituencies. We hope others, too, will find the materials useful: please feel free to adapt them to your own conditions and challenges – use the ideas and information and develop your own!

The process of activities is roughly along the same lines:

• Lighting the fire – beginnings

• Assembling information

• Working with the information and turning it into insight and knowledge

• Planning for action.