Member Associations

The Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992, registered in public benefit. Its activities are oriented towards several main areas of work – access to health services, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), health and sexuality education, advocacy, prevention of trafficking of human beings, sustainable development policies and prevention of HIV/AIDS and STI. The target groups of the organization are various and include mainstream young people, state, municipality and school authorities, health professionals, NGO and community leaders, teachers, journalists. BFPA puts special focus on marginalized and socially deprived groups – Roma, other minorities, blind and deaf children, young people with disabilities, rural women, children in institutions, young people with criminal record. BFPA is expert and innovator and introduced for the first time in the country the concept of peer education, youth friendly services, mobile services, Roma health mediators. BFPA staff, Management Board and volunteers have different professional backgrounds. This diversity of professional and social expertise helps to implement successfully over 75 projects, supported by over 50 different donors. These projects assure ongoing health, social and educational activities in Sofia and county-wide with the support of BFPA branches and various partner networks in the country and abroad. The interventions include national-wide campaigns, health services and screenings, wide range of trainings, researches, peer education etc.    

Gestos is a philanthropic organization founded in 1993 by sociologist Acioli Neto, journalist Alessandra Nilo, sociologist Márcia Andrade and social worker Silvia Dantas. The first project developed was supported by MISEREOR and focused on psychological care for people living with AIDS, as well as the training of information multipliers in the poorest communities of the Metropolitan Region of Recife. Since then, they have effectively contributed to guaranteeing the human rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. About 70% of the people who have sought legal support from the institution have had their rights redressed, through precautionary measures and sentences, which today are even part of the list of jurisprudence on the subject of Law and AIDS. Throughout its history, the organization has considered communication as fundamental in the fight against AIDS and has fought to expand this understanding in Pernambuco, Brazil and Latin America. This vision has consolidated Gestos as an important reference in Communication and AIDS in the country, with special emphasis on discussions on Public Policies on Health Communication. They also help to form new civil society organizations, such as the National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (RNPVHA - 1995), the Positive Work Group - GTP+ (2000), the Group of Positive Actions (2003), the Group of Support to HIV Positive People (GASP) 2003, Acts of Citizenship (2006). From 2007 to 2011, Gestos created and coordinated the UNGASS-AIDS Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health, where it oversaw the implementation of agreements signed at the UN in sixteen developing countries. The UNGASS-AIDS Forum has established itself as a space for political debate on issues related to HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights. They are also a consultative NGO at the UN, with ECOSOC status since 2017.   Instagram Twitter