The Garífuna are descendants of Africans who were shipwrecked, escaped slavery and settled with indigenous groups in the Caribbean in the 17th century. They remain a disenfranchised and marginalized ethnic minority group living primarily along the north coast and islands. Their HIV prevalence rate is at least eight times higher than the national one –Read more
Monthly Update
Siempre Unidos led the annual LGBT parade in San Pedro Sula Honduras last month. “It was quite impressive,” Pascual reports. “There were more than 8-9 gay rights organizations represented and close to 200 people marching. We filled 2 blocks!” Ten years ago, people marched with their faces covered; today they carry the pride flag andRead more
Board members Janet Brown and Elisabeth Fowler oversaw successful drives to raise funds to replace our aging vans with the vehicles pictured below. The van pictured at top transports staff to community health fairs and patient homes for checkups. The pictures below show the 2nd mobile health van, retrofitted as an ambulance to transport patientsRead more
Siempre Unidos physicians, administrative staff, The Rev. Pascual Torres and Denise Main visit the World Health Organization’s Honduras office Last month we traveled to the capital, Tegucigalpa, to meet with representatives of the Honduras Secretary of Health, directors of the Health Surveillance and Medical Supply Chain units, and World Health Organization (“Organización Mundial de laRead more
Our Honduras Executive Director, the Rev. Pascual Torres, wrote the following email at the end of a recent workday: “There I am surrounded by some of our beneficiaries of many years. What a happy photo! …Our Cabro chili season has ended after almost a whole year of bountiful harvest. The most rare and difficult oneRead more
Siempre Unidos nurse counsels and tests a woman for hepatitis B HIV works insidiously with other diseases. When a person has HIV their risk of developing other diseases rises dramatically. This is the case with hepatitis B. Approximately 10% of the HIV-infected population worldwide is infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). HIV increases the riskRead more
We pride ourselves on providing medical care with “calidad y calidez” (quality and warmth). Two months ago, we completed the renovation of our recovery rooms at our San Pedro Sula and Siguatepeque clinics by installing new beds, air conditioning, washbasins, medical equipment, electric wiring, floors, doors and ceilings. Your generous support made these upgrades possible.Read more
World AIDS Day: Progress and Setbacks in Honduras Nationally, Honduras’ HIV prevalence rate has fallen from one of the region’s highest to a new low of 0.4% of all adults. This figure hides high prevalence among certain groups as our Gilead-funded testing has revealed. We found HIV prevalence rates as high as 11% when testingRead more
Caring for her Community Gina (pictured right) talks with a Santa Marta community member in front of her home. When we started our HIV and Hepatitis B education and testing in the “bordos” (slums) of San Pedro Sula, community members told us we had to meet Gina. We found her at a slum called SantaRead more
“Tina” has a lot to do. A tailor, she sells clothing to customers in their homes and small businesses. The profits support her and the 16 year-old grandson she is raising. She has made enough money to buy her own home, which she plans to leave to the boy. Siempre Unidos is the beneficiary ofRead more
