Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

To achieve their goal, Kimirina provides technical assistance and financing to NGOs and other community-based organizations through project management training, providing operational methodologies, teamwork development, and building systems which will significantly increase social capital. They support “team based work”, meaning they work alongside the local population both in preventative and organizational efforts. This generates leaders within the same community that can make political incidence and sustainable changes. Examples of some of their projects include:

• Aya Huma Project, “Prevention of HIV/AIDS for sexual minorities:” The objective is to strengthen community-based organizations (CBO) within the transgender community regarding human rights policy through information and healthy habits. The goal is that 50% of those attended by the trans-community organizations and their allies will use condoms as a self-protective and preventative measure. In addition, alongside the World Health Organization and other CBOs, Kimirina is developing an integral healthcare program designed for transgender population, which will facilitate access to health services equitably and in consideration of their needs. Approximately 500 transgender people have benefitted from Aya Huma.

• Youth Project: High school and university youth are selected and trained through campaigns and workshops. These young people become “cultural promoters” working in informal events to spread health-related messages, promote sexual responsibility, and prevent HIV through the use of sports, theatre, art, conferences and workshops. The program includes participation of youth from a varity of diverse groups and cultures, and also those who are considered at-risk and/or excluded (such as those who have been incarcerated or who have lived on the street).

• RedTrabSex- Ecuador “Collaborating to create an inter-institutional support network with the participation of sex workers:” Established in 2005 and with current participation of 14 Ecuadorian provinces, RedTrabSex is an organization made up of sex workers working to improve the lives of women in this line of work. The project hopes to include all the leaders of RedTrabSex- Ecuador and will establish itself in the three cities with most policy work related to sex work: Guayaquil, Quito and Esmeraldas.

• Prevention and Control of Malaria in Ecuador: Puts together the efforts of the government’s Malaria Control Program to civil society and community-based organizations. The objective is to diagnose and treat malaria in at-risk areas, with special emphasis on vulnerable populations.

Kimirina carries out malaria-related civil society work through training and education for health promoters in the Ministry of Health and for those training to become community health facilitators. This program has helped to reduce malaria cases from approximately 9,000 per year (2007-2009) to less than 300 cases in 2010.

Reported results available.