Ecuador

In Ecuador, it is men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people who are disproportionally affected by the HIV epidemic. Like many other countries, this is caused by discrimination that prevents people accessing the information and health services that can protect them.

Our work here focuses on overcoming the stigma and discrimination that so often creates barriers to vital HIV services.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 34.8% of transgender people are living with HIV.
• 16.5% of MSM are living with HIV.
• 36.9% of people questioned in Ecuador said they would not buy fresh vegetables from a vendor they knew had HIV.

meet one of OUR PARtNERs

CORPORACIÓN KIMIRINA

We’ve worked with Kimirina since 1999, helping to improve access to HIV and health services.

Kimirina’s mission is to reach Ecuador’s most marginalised communities, such as gay men and other MSM, transgender people, sex workers and people living with HIV, helping them to exercise their basic right to health services and information. It does this by supporting other community organisations and providing direct HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

Kimirina has also been particularly successful at creating innovative online resources for key groups who typically face discrimination when seeking HIV information in person. For example, the team developed a digital prevention platform aimed at gay men called ponteonce.org.

OUR IMPACT IN ECUADOR

In 2019, Corporación Kimirina reached:

• Almost 55,000 people with HIV prevention programmes; including over 37,000 men who have sex with men
• Over 44,000 marginalised people with an HIV test and ensured they know their results.