Partnering to Uphold the Dignity of Marginalized Communities in Honduras

Dr. Eylin at the Chamelecon Military Complex.

Dr. Eylin is a dentist and leads the health unit at the Chamelecon Military Complex, located outside of San Pedro Sula. The unit’s health is her responsibility. Partnering with the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras’ Siempre Unidos (Always United) ministry through the Siloe Project, she facilitates rapid HIV testing and follow-up, advocates for gender equality and speaks out against gender-based violence. Being a young woman in a leadership position in a traditionally male-dominated space has proven challenging but also a prime opportunity to affect change.

Blood testing in Honduras, 2014.
Blood testing in Honduras, 2014.

Dr. Eylin has helped reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among the military personnel in her care. Calling the Siloe Project a “strategic partner,” Dr. Eylin is grateful for the professionalism of the team members who come to the military police complex to give talks about safer sex practices or to perform rapid HIV/AIDS testing.

Because of the work of the Siloe Project team, Dr. Eylin says, officers are “putting into practice what they have learned in the talks.” Without the Siloe Project, her unit would not have been able to achieve these results, she says.

However, the way that the pandemic isolated some officers eroded that progress, she notes. When new HIV cases were detected as a result, Dr. Eylin and the team at Siloe helped provide people the care they needed.

Siempre Unidos float at a Pride Parade in Honduras, 2014.
Siempre Unidos float at a Pride Parade in Honduras, 2014.

Episcopal Relief & Development partners with the Siloe Project to uphold the dignity of marginalized people such as commercial sex workers, LGBTQ+ people, people living in slums, incarcerated people and ethnic minority communities. The project aims to prevent sexual and gender-based violence through awareness education and by empowering faith leaders to speak out against violence. With your support, we are able to effect lasting change for women and marginalized communities in Honduras and around the world.

View Episcopal Relief & Development’s 2021 Annual Report for more stories of lasting change.