I’m learning to be responsible for myself: Alex’s Story

Alex Dimas lives in San Salvador, El Salvador. He prepares his video recording setup, ready to upload content to his social media channels where he has built a community of 55,000 people. With his charisma and sense of humor, he shares his experiences and life stories as a 20-year-old gay man. Among the content Alex shares is his experience using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) through Asociación PASMO. In these posts, he describes how easy it is to access this highly effective medication for HIV prevention through a private clinic, free of charge. However, Alex’s journey with PrEP didn’t begin smoothly, it once seemed like a distant reality. “Mi vida ante“Before, I wasn’t very informed, and I didn’t have much access to healthcare. When you live in the outskirts of the capital, many things aren’t available, many things are hard to get, and there are a lot of limitations”

Alex first learned about PrEP through social media advertisements and was thrilled at the chance to access this free service through PASMO as part of the USAID HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment project. “I was happy when I got the information, but I was also worried because it wasn’t available in Sonsonate; it was only offered initially in San Salvador.” After experiencing a situation where he felt at risk, Alex decided to take responsibility for his sexual health and saw PrEP as an opportunity to protect himself. When he first started taking PrEP, Alex had many questions: What happens if I forget to take it one day? What are the side effects? Will this medication affect my kidneys? “All my questions were answered by the doctor and educators, who answered quickly via WhatsApp. That gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance to continue the process.”

Today, services are more widely available through the project in El Salvador, and Alex incorporates PrEP into his daily routine by setting an alarm to remind him to take it. He appreciates the security of having a WhatsApp number where he can write at any time with questions about the medication. “My experience with PrEP has been very positive. Now, I feel safer, protected. I always use condoms because PrEP only protects against HIV”.

“I’ve recommended PrEP to my sexual partners by giving them PASMO’s WhatsApp number, and I’ve also shared it with my followers on TikTok because PrEP is a medication that gives you security and confidence. I feel very secure and confident in my process with PASMO. They have very compassionate professionals; the clinics are private, which makes me feel I receive high quality care.”

“I feel so happy to be one of the fortunate ones. They’ve changed our lives and are teaching us to take responsibility for ourselves”.