“$33,334.78! Do you know how many lempiras that is?” Pascual Torres, our Honduran Executive Director, asked the Siempre Unidos Board. He was reporting the amount raised by the clinic staff in 2015 for clinic operations. The Honduran currency, the lempira, is worth 5 cents. At the beginning of 2015, Pascual and the staff redoubled aRead more
Monthly Update
When Siempre Unidos started 15 years ago, we held marches in urban centers to bring attention to AIDS in Honduras. In addition to suffering from a lack of treatment, our patients feared hostile discrimination. They walked with paper bags over their heads. Today, we celebrate World AIDS Day and recognize the victories and remaining challenges.Read more
Their story begins with escape from slavery. In the late 1600s or early 1700s, a European slave ship carrying Africans shipwrecked off the shore of St. Vincent’s, a Caribbean island. They settled with the Carib Indians and lived as free people. While they initially resisted British control, they were ultimately exiled by the colonizers andRead more
When we saw her in July, she had a CD4 count of 6 meaning her immune system was non-functioning. She had been in and out of hospitals as her condition worsened due to severe gastritis, tuberculosis, and AIDS. Linda (a pseudonym) was suffering in other ways, too. Twenty-nine years old and the mother of threeRead more
The report sent by our Honduran executive director, Pascual, was puzzling. Of the 912 people tested in the “high risk” groups – gay men, Garifuna, soldiers and prisoners – only 5 were HIV-positive. Meanwhile, 24 people in the “población general” tested positive. Who are these members of the “general population?” They are the 268 womenRead more
July 8 – 11 we traveled with board member Jay Lalezari, a physician and HIV researcher, and volunteer Rebecca Auster to see HIV+ patients and meet with USAID staff. Dr. Clarisa Castro, Director, Public Health and Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences, joined us for one of the days. The first clinic we visit is in theRead more
From May 17 to June 17 the Siempre Unidos Staff celebrated the International Month of Solidarity with people living with HIV by leading marches and collecting donations for their work educating and testing high-risk communities in Honduras. Below are excerpts and photos from the Honduran Executive Director Pascual Torres and the Staff. May 19 TheRead more
