Challenges and prospects of Health Popular Education in its contribution to the praxis of Community Health Agents/Desafios e perspectivas da Educacao Popular em Saude na constituicao da praxis do Agente Comunitario de Saude/Desafíos y perspectivas de la Educación Popular en Salud para la constitución de la praxis del Agente Comunitario de Salud

This paper discusses Community Health Agent (CHA) work in Brazil, regarding in particular their practice as educators in the context of the national health policy. Authors' experience in the technical course developed for these workers by Escola Politecnica de Saude Joaquim Venancio/ Fiocruz and a bibliographical review were the basis for this paper. Results indicate possible contradictions between the legal requirements for the Community Health Agent work and the actual possibility of these agents becoming popular educators. Finally, this paper presents the challenges and prospects health popular education faces if it is to contribute changes in the work process of CHAs which will lead to effective critical education and popular participation, in order to pave the way for an integral health perspective and a dialogical approach with popular knowledge in the context of primary care.