Community Center for Sex Workers in Mexico

During the first trimester of 2009 (january-march), the house continued to carry out many activities to improve the lives of its inhabitants:

Health Services: • Three urgent cases have been attended in hospitals • HIV tests held to five women • Three visits from an homeopathic doctor to the house • One eye surgery • Two visits from a dentist to the house • Psychological advise to 15 women • Vaccines provided to all the house inhabitants • 180 examinations and consultations provided by the doctor who works full-time in the house, and five cases canalized to specialists • Optical revision of all the house inhabitants and glasses provided to those who needed them.

Administrative services: • Identification cards processed for two women • Search and identification of eight birth certificates • Three credentials processed so elder women can have access to governmental services.

Workshops: • One session on violence prevention • One session on depression detection • 12 weekly gatherings regarding internal organization • One session about mental diseases imparted to the house personnel

Recreational Activities: • Three birthdays celebrated • Three festivities celebrated • Invitation to two theater plays • Eight sessions of crochet training

Thanks to all donors for making these activities possible!

• Casa Xochiquetzal Picture 1.doc (DOC)

• Six new women have entered the house during the reporting period.

• 37 lectures and training workshops have been held on the following themes: - Violence prevention - Conflict resolution - Self-esteem - HIV/ADIS - Diabetes - Theater - Painting

• The staff has been consolidated: one full-time social worker and an M.D. have been incorporated in to the house. They have being offering their services to the inhabitants on a periodic basis; during the reporting period: - 96 medical consultations have been given - 30 more cases have been canalized to governmental entities according to specific medical needs. - Identification documents of 15 women have been arranged. This will allow them to have access to free or low-cost medical services offered by different governmental institutions. - Dental care provided to the house inhabitants.

Thanks to the support of all donors, the community center keeps running and the lives of its inhabitants keep improving!

Thanks to the generosity of individual and institutional donors, Casa Xochiquetzal (the Community center for Sex Workers in Mexico) has continued to grow over the past months. The spaces (kitchen, dormitories and hall) have been furnished and improved, allowing the women to have adequate spaces to carry out their daily activities.

Today 30 women live in the house, while others come on a periodic basis to participate in workshops and other activities.

Currently, Casa Xochiquetzal provides permanent services, such as: - Regular medical attention (the house now has a space fitted out as a medical office). - Psychological attention - Workshops about human rights & gender violence - Age-appropriate diets - Workshops on handicraft production; self-esteem, conflict resolution; and communication skills.

All these achievements have been really important, but the fundraising efforts remain a challenge in order to assure the continuity of these activities. In this regard, the support of individual donors through Global Giving has been an important element for the stability of the project. The following months, the priority will be to continue with the process to register and legally establish the Community Center as a Civil Association, which will be a major step towards its independence and sustainability.