V.E.S. Needs Your Help
 Paul D. Crist - vallartaenfrentasida.org
August 25, 2010
| | V.E.S. staff and volunteers provide free HIV testing, counseling by trained staff, free condoms and medical care assistance to people in Vallarta who are living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. | |
Vallarta Enfrenta el SIDA, (Vallarta Confronts AIDS) also affectionately known as VES, (in Spanish, Ves means "you see" ...appropriate, huh? "You see, there is hope. We care.") needs your help.
We’ve been working hard for years to provide a comprehensive response to the HIV crisis in Puerto Vallarta: reducing new infections, getting people tested and into care, and reducing stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS.
I founded the organization, and have led it from day one, with support from an amazing staff and volunteer corps. I get no paycheck, and in fact, continue to support this effort with my own resources. It’s how I choose to spend my money.
We also get some funding from large U.S. foundations AIDS Healthcare Foundation & amfAR, but we really need some help this year... NOW... from YOU! It’s been a very difficult year for us. The economy has hit us all very hard, and VES is no exception.
Puerto Vallarta has new visitors and residents coming and going constantly. Many in the region are economically and educationally challenged. So we must reach out consistently and constantly over a wide geographic area with our message and services. Government resources for prevention and education are extremely limited. Your generous contribution today is vital for our life saving work.
You can make a U.S. Tax deductible contribution to our work, using any major credit card, securely and conveniently, online by clicking HERE.
Executive Director Julio Madrid, and I attended the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, in July. Julio took TONS of photos. And our ongoing program to outreach to MSMs (men who have sex with men) was featured as a "successful and effective HIV prevention program in a developing country" by one of our longtime funding partners, amfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research, founded by Elizabeth Taylor).
Be sure to check out this fantastic video that Julio put together of scenes from our experience at the International AIDS Conference 2010 in Vienna Austria.
Note: Attendance at this conference did not come from VES budgets. I paid 100% of my own expenses, and most of Julio’s. Julio also got a small institutional grant for his daily incidentals while in Vienna. When you donate to VES, your donation goes 100% to our programs for testing, treatment, outreach, sexual and reproductive health education, and anti-stigma & anti-discrimination programs.
Despite our efforts, Puerto Vallarta continues to have the 4th highest number of reported HIV cases among all Mexican cities, and it is estimated that up to 60% of people living with HIV still do not know their status.
We’re working to change that!
VES is the only organization in Vallarta that is effectively reaching vulnerable populations, providing free HIV testing, counseling by trained staff, free condoms, medical care assistance, and more.
Our mobile testing van (we call her "VanEssa") goes out to rural communities and the places where we know that vulnerable populations can be found and where risky behaviors are happening. We don’t wait for people to come to us... we go to them!
And we offer our services without judgment or discrimination... but with caring and love that recognizes human rights, equality, and diversity.
Won’t you help us to make a difference in the lives of people in Vallarta, living with HIV and affected by HIV/AIDS? If you are a U.S. taxpayer, your contribution is tax deductible! Click HERE to donate TODAY!
Our U.S. contributions are managed by the International Community Foundation, based in San Diego, and are fully tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers.
Thank you!
Paul D. Crist
Founder and President
Vallarta Enfrenta el SIDA, A.C.
VallartaEnfrentaSida.org
Tel: (322) 223-0535
 Puerto Vallarta's HIV/AIDS non-profit organization, Vallarta Enfrenta el SIDA, and CAPASITS, work together to provide high-quality medical care, counseling and psychological support, education and prevention programs, and outreach to at-risk communities in the Banderas Bay area. For information, assistance, or to volunteer or donate, please visit VallartaEnfrentaSida.org. To learn more about VES, click HERE. |
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