Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – “My dream has finally come true,” said SETAC Director, Paco Arjona, upon receiving the news that the State Social Assistance System (SSAS) had approved funding for his pet project: a Mobile HIV and STD Detection Unit that will serve key populations in Puerto Vallarta and the greater Banderas Bay area.
In July, the SSAS invited NGOs in the state of Jalisco that are working to provide solutions to social problems to submit their projects for government funding consideration through the State’s Civil Society Organization (CSO) Support Program.
Designed to strengthen social assistance in Jalisco, the CSO program’s co-investment modality helps these non-profit associations fund new, or expand existing, projects that benefit people in vulnerable situations and/or are members of street populations.
To qualify for project co-funding, the non-profit organizations had to meet the government’s stringent requirements, which included the structure of the project; its true impact on the intended beneficiaries, which is measured by results; and the NGO’s transparency and legality.
The Social Assistance Subsidies Technical Committee approved only 73 of the 387 applications submitted by civil associations for a portion of the $30,377,443 pesos earmarked for the support program. The funds will be allocated based on the resources needed by each of the 73 NGOs to carry out the community assistance and services projects they proposed.
Having met all the of requirements, SETAC’s Mobile HIV Detection Unit was one of the projects chosen to receive government co-funding, which will allow them to expand their Brigadas por la Vida (Brigades for Life) program, which takes the tools of education and HIV prevention – rapid tests, condoms, lubricants, brochures, prevention packages, etc. – directly to the people in Puerto Vallarta and surrounding communities.
As Puerto Vallarta’s LGBTQ Community and Wellness Center, SETAC is dedicated to the implementation of HIV testing; the distribution of educational brochures, condoms, and other preventive devices; as well as the care of people living with HIV.
“With this vehicle,” Arjona says, “we will be able to reach our key populations: sex workers, men who have sex with men, trans women, and people in a street situation who, due to factors such as their activities, schedules, stigma and discrimination, do not have, or do not access, regular services for prevention, detection and care of HIV and other STDs that are offered by traditional health institutions.
We can also reach meeting places where our young population gathers for fun; where the prevention component is absent and must be presented in a way that integrates with their daily activities without interrupting or changing their routine.”
The SETAC Mobile HIV Detection Unit is expected to hit the streets of Vallarta in the third week of October, and state authorities have promised to be present to witness its launch.
Located at Aldanaca 178 4A & 4B, in the Colonia Versalles of neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta, SETAC is a non-profit community and wellness center whose mission is to reduce HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the greater Banderas Bay region through education, detection and prevention. Free counseling, testing, treatments and referrals for HIV and other sexual transmitted illness are just some of the free services SETAC provides to the entire population, without prejudice or discrimination. For more information, follow SETAC on Facebook, visit the website, call (322) 224-1974 or email contacto(at)setac.com.mx.
