[Social participation and health promotion in Cotacachi: an experience in progress].

Community participation in the origin design and application of health programs may be encouraged through health promotion. Health promotion is a political strategy in which the community becomes involved in processes of change through development of a broad-based consensus of the most important organizations to find solutions to health problems. Strategies of health promotion make individuals aware of their personal and community responsibilities for actions to reinforce healthy behaviors and modify unhealthy behaviors. The decision of political authorities to base their government on popular participation is one of the most important factors in community activation. Political will in the Ecuadorian community of Cotacachi allowed creation of mechanisms for achieving consensus that were consolidated into an intersectorial health committee. The committee carried out a participatory health diagnosis with community assistance to gain knowledge of the area and its problems. An IEC (information education and communication) program was created to promote health using the existing communication networks. Other organizations were gradually incorporated into the process of health promotion with training sessions to convert members into a network for health communication.