“Brazos Abiertos” relaunches sex education program in Mérida

Peer-to-Peer forging ahead! The initial sex education program that gave life to BAI back in 2006 has been relaunched with vigour. Last summer’s student Health Leaders have passed on their knowledge to their peers and 90% of them have remained as part of the BAI team, attending 20 workshops at the BAI Center and carrying out 16 training sessions for public school teens in Cholul.

In June they accompanied us to Isla Mujeres for our 8th annual program of HIV testing and education. Their parents are extremely proud their sons and daughters have been empowered and are making such a difference.

Partnerships produce results: BAI has strengthened its presence and commitment as a catalyst for change in the Yucatán by renewing our agreement with the City of Mérida for a further 2 years. We’ve been training doctors and nurses to provide our high-standard service model in 10 public health clinics, aiming to administer a total of 100 free HIV tests a month.

Together with non-profits and government agencies, we recently held a major HIV testing marathon for 300 people, finding 15 new positive cases – a shockingly high percentage we’ve never encountered before.

BAI Care programs in action:

BAI Care is now supporting over 220 HIV positive clients.
BAI Psychotherapy has 12 newly diagnosed clients currently attending 15 group sessions.
BAI Nutrition is carefully monitoring clients’ dietary needs resulting from their HIV infection and has partnered with a new HIV shelter, “Abrazos que dan Vida,” teaching sustainable food production and healthy living.

HIV is still an epidemic and with a new case of HIV or AIDS reported every day in Yucatán, our prevention programs are more important than ever. Unplanned teenage pregnancy rates continue to rise, risking the future aspirations of thousands of young people.

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Thank you for your interest, and most importantly, your generosity. We receive no financial assistance from the Government and rely 100% on your help, with 77 cents of every dollar going directly to our programs. Please pledge a donation so that we can continue our crucial work. Thank You!

Dr. Carlos Cabrera, Director General, Fundación BAI