Young people in Ecuador’s indigenous communities need to understand their reproductive rights and health, so they can stay safe and healthy.

Why we care: Reproductive health-related conditions are the leading cause of death for young women in Ecuador.

How we’re solving this: Bringing together 70 young people from indigenous communities in Azuay and Cañar Provinces for a workshop on HIV prevention.

In remote parts of Ecuador, women and young people often face discrimination based on their gender, their ethnicity, or their poverty, and many have little or no access to information about their reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS. The impact of this is alarming, and often tragic:

• More and more women are becoming infected with HIV — the portion of women in Ecuador’s HIV+ population grew from under 15% in 1999 to one-third by 2006.
• In indigenous communities, only 3% of the women use condoms, and one in three girls is a mother by the time she reaches age 19.
• Reproductive health-related conditions are the leading cause of death for young women in Ecuador, accounting for fully half of all deaths among this vulnerable population.

Family Care International (FCI) works in indigenous communities, in close partnership with grassroots organizations, to raise young people’s awareness about their reproductive health and about their rights. In the last three years, FCI and our partners have reached more than 3,000 young people, across five provinces, with critical information about how to protect themselves from HIV infection. We have seen firsthand the power of education to increase young people’s utilization of vital health services, to prevent the spread of the HIV epidemic, and to protect young lives.

To broaden the impact of this important work, FCI will bring together 70 young people from indigenous communities in Azuay and Cañar Provinces for a workshop on HIV prevention. This workshop will include training on correctly using condoms (and negotiating their use with a sexual partner), recognizing and opposing discrimination, understanding and standing up for reproductive rights, and treating people with HIV and AIDS with dignity and respect. 

When you make a donation, your contribution will be used to cover the costs of bringing these young people to the workshop, producing training materials, and organizing the event. This project will equip young women and men with the knowledge they need to make sure they live long and healthy lives free from HIV.