Noticias

The Men’s Wellness Center “Kuimba’e” (which means “men” in guaraní, Paraguay’s native language) defends and upholds a fundamental principle, protected by the National Constitution, that health is a right that everyone should access without restrictions. The MWC provides counseling and voluntary testing for HIV and syphilis, in addition to reference the diagnosed cases to medical care, as well as the counseling and psychological service. All services are free of charge for users thanks to the external financing collaboration managed by SOMOSGAY with AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation).

In this short time, from May 2013 up to this date, Kuimba'e served as a bridge between more than 2.600 people (2.067 men and 585 women) in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of various diseases that preferentially affect the male population -in fact, the male population has very little opportunity to access a friendly service in either public or private health systems. Around 357 cases of syphilis where diagnosed along with 134 HIV cases and more than 7.500 people accessing the rapid tests for HIV and syphilis, making sure that every user who needs treatment and support receives them free of discrimination.

SOMOSGAY was the first community-based organization in the country to offer the service of counseling, voluntary testing, diagnosis and treatment of STIs and referral of HIV+ cases to the support networks of people living with HIV, along with peer counseling, condoms and water-based lubricants.
This service is open to all citizens. It is expected that the safe environment of the Community Center encourages consultations from young gay and bisexual men, as well from heterosexual men, including male sex workers, since these suffer significant barriers in access to health services in general.

Kuimba'e detected, in two years of work, more than a hundred people living with HIV, and this experience allowed us to introduce the concepts related to the Fast Track strategy, adopted and promoted by UNAIDS, WHO and the Global Fund itself, along with other cooperation agencies. The Fast Track suits the needs highlighted by activists and civil society organizations fighting for the right to health of people living with the such diseases.

In 2015, the MWC aims to bolster its Kuimba'e care model and support the decentralization process that will deepen the network of care with the Ministry of Health of Paraguay, without losing sight that health is a right that we have conquered and tt is not a commodity.

Something is changing, and these changes reinforce our vision of becoming a center of reference for quality care of men who need a friendly and approachable health service where the emphasis is on the empowerment of our community regarding their health and wellbeing, fighting misconceptions and prejudices about different diseases and eliminating stigma and discrimination.