Help Support My Peace Corps HIV Testing Project!

Dear Family and Friends,

With great excitement and anticipation, I have spent the last few months trying to get a few projects off the ground. A majority of my projects have been centered on HIV education and HIV rapid testing in the city run hospitals. In the city of Guayaquil, 3 out of 4 people living with HIV AIDS are unaware of their status. 66% of the HIV cases reported in country of Ecuador are located in the province of Guayas. A majority of the patients that I see on a daily basis at the city run hospitals are women between the ages of 14 to 40 years old. According to new studies, a majority of the new HIV cases in Guayaquil are “amas de casa” or house wives.

Cases of AIDS in Ecuador

With the support of my counterpart organization, El Municipio de Guayaquil, I am currently working in hospitals doing HIV pre and post counseling for patients who are being tested for HIV. During each counseling session, patients are educated on the basics of HIV AIDS (how the HIV virus is transmitted, the difference between HIV and AIDS, how the patient can protect themselves and their partners against the virus and other STIs, and how the HIV rapid test works).

doing HIV pre-consejería in La Nueva Prosperina, Guayaquil, Ecuador

In the month of July, I plan to begin a new project that will bring free HIV testing and counseling to three hospitals in the city of Guayaquil. Over the course of 5 months (July – December 2011), my goal is to educate and test more than 1,000 patients in the city of Guayaquil.

So here is where you come in… : )

Until July, I have three months to raise a little more than $1,700 which will fully fund 900 rapid HIV tests. My counterpart organization, the Municipio de Guayaquil has generously donated space in three hospitals for me to conduct HIV AIDS education and rapid testing. With a small donation you can support me reach my goal to provide free HIV education and testing in the city of Guayaquil. For every $2 donated to this project, one Ecuadorian will be educated on HIV AIDS and given a rapid HIV test, all free of charge.

The easiest way to donate is to use this link, 518-367, or visit www.peacecorps.gov/donate and search by the project number, 518-367. Although, the web site is the quickest way to make a donation, you may also make a check payable to Peace Corps Partnership
Program and send it to:

Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters
Peace Corps Partnership Program, OPSI
1111 20th Street NWWashington DC 20526

Be sure to indicate the project number, 518-367, on the check so it will be applied to this project. Remember that gifts supporting this project are tax-deductible!

Thank you so much in advance for your support on this project and my work here in Ecuador. If you have friends or family that would be interested in supporting this project, please feel free to forward them the link above.

I am blessed to have such supportive friends and family. Without you I would not be where I am today!

Un fuerte abrazo desde Ecuador – A huge hug from Ecuador !
Leana

Some pictures from my HIV testing project in Monte Sinaí …..

Michael and Lyla waiting for their mom to get her blood drawn for the HIV rapid test

Lyla

Michael

Las Iguanas, Guayaquil, Ecuador