HIV/AIDS Support Group Helps Hondurans Claim their Rights

March 2004

PUERTO CORTÉS, Honduras -- As in many other cities, people living with HIV/AIDS in Honduras’s leading port have been denied medical and educational services or faced other types of discrimination.

Acción SIDA, funded by USAID, helped HIV-positive people in Puerto Cortés organize a support group of 20 members called Genesis. In 2003, the group created alliances with local health staff, media, religious groups, local authorities, and public and private schools.

“Today I can serve the people living with HIV/AIDS in my community,” said José Antonio Escada, a member of Genesis. “I am familiar with the national HIV/AIDS law and my rights. My self-esteem is higher, and I am capable and comfortable counseling my peers.”

Acción SIDA encourages people to talk about their HIV-positive status and fight discrimination. One of the group’s first achievements was to open an activity center that provides individual counseling, support meetings, referal services, and occupational training. Genesis has also increased AIDS awareness in the community through advocates like Escada. Through testimonials and discussions, they are enlightening the general population about people with HIV/AIDS.

Access the March 2004 edition of FrontLines [PDF, 2MB]