Grupo Pela Vidda/Rio de Janeiro

For The Valorization, Integration and Dignity of People with Aids.

Grupo Pela Vidda (GPV) is a non-governmental, not for profit, community based organization, formed by People Living with HIV/ AIDS, their friends and family. Founded in 1989, by writer and activist Herbert Daniel, GPV develops a wide range of activities, in both, care and prevention fields, focusing on the empowerment of PWAs.

Pela Vidda offers weekly open meetings where people living with HIV/ AIDS, their friends and family can get support and exchange experiences with one another. Each meeting has a specific goal:

• Welcome and counseling meeting, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
• Women’s meeting, every Monday.
• The Tuesday night meeting is an open forum to discuss all our activities, institutional plans and goals.
• Art workshop, every Wednesday.
• Volunteer meeting, on Thursdays, for exchange and skill building activities.
• Open tribune, a meeting to discuss important issues on living with Aids, every Friday.

Besides, we offer services for people living with HIV and the general population:

• Free Legal advice and services.
• AIDS Hotline: Trained volunteers, giving confidential and anonymous information, every weekday afternoon.

Pela Vidda also develops several activities to follow up the public policies concerning Aids prevention and care: Such as activism, public demonstrations and the participation on local and national policy making commissions and committees (State Commission on Aids and National Vaccines Committee).

GPV has published several educational materials targeting different populations: men, women, care takers, PWAs, etc...

Together with Grupo Pela Vidda/ Niteroi, Pela Vidda/ Rio de Janeiro, organizes the National Meeting of People Living with HIV and AIDS. This meeting is the largest community event on the Aids field and happens annually bringing together more than 1000 people from all over Brazil.

Our main goal is - through information, activism and solidarity - to promote the empowerment of people living with HIV/ AIDS in Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil

Address

Av. Rio Branco, 135 - Grupos 709/713 - Centro - 20.090-002 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil

Tel.: +55 21 518-3993 Fax.: +55 21 518-1997

Other 5 Pela Vidda Groups, in different cities (Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo; Goiania, Goias; Curitiba, Parana; and Vitoria, Espirito Santo) were founded inspired by the Pela Vidda in Rio de Janeiro.

Institutional Profile

Board

Ronaldo Mussauer de Lima/President

Daniel Arcadi Mouret/Vice-President

Hibernon Guerreiro/Treasurer

Maria Cora Barroso Dias Lopes Bório/General Secretary

Note: All Board members are Volunteers

STAFF

Coordination

Ricardo Ramos - Financial/Administrative Coordinator - Economist

Ezio Távora dos Santos Filho - Executive Coordinator - Attorney in Law

Alexandre do Valle - Project Coordinator - Psychologist

Others

Cristina Luci Câmara da Silva - Project Consultant - Master in Sociology

Team of 18 Project Assistants and Area Coordinators, most with specific skills, including university and masters degrees, in their respective activities.

External Representations

National Vaccines Committee - National Program on STD/AIDS - Health Ministry (1994-1997)

Rio de Janeiro State Aids Commission - Rio de Janeiro State Health Authority

Events

Responsible for the organization of the I to VII National Meeting of People Living with HIV/Aids, from 1990 to 1997

Participation on International Conferences

• Participation with presentation of papers and posters from the VIII to the XI International Conference on Aids.
• Participation on the I and II International Conference on Home and Community Care for persons living with HIV/Aids.

Publications

Newsletter

• Pela Vidda Newsletter - four issues per year - 6,000 copies
• Vaccines Newsletter - three issues - 5,000 copies each

Dossier

• Vaccines - 5,000 copies
• Assistance - 5,000 copies

Brochure

Direitos das Pessoas Vivendo com HIV e Aids (Rights of people living with HIV/Aids) - 7,000 copies

Educational Material

Booklets

• Viver a Vida Positivamente (Living a Positive Life - What happens when you test positive) - 550,000 copies
• Cuidando de Alguém com Aids (Taking Care of Someone with Aids) - 550,000 copies
• Conquistas (Conquests - The Rights of PWAs) - 50,000 copies
• Mulheres (Women) - 40,000 copies

Flyers

• Vista essa Camisa (Put it on) - 60,000 copies
• Mulheres (Women) - 40,000 copies
• Homens (Men) - 22,000 copies

Video

Mulheres Pela Vidda (Pela Vidda Women, Women for Life) - A short educational documentary based on the real experience of women living with HIV in Brazil.

Financing