UNFPA Provides Sexual Health Care in Costa Rica

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (August 20, 2021) – Since September 2019, the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have partnered to bring sexual health care to the population of Project Alajuelita, Costa Rica by distributing 795 doses of birth control pills and injections, 1,835 doses of medication for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and 2,970 condoms.

“We serve a large Nicaraguan migrant population as well as Costa Rican population here, so UNFPA’s donations have been critical in providing resources for the women and youth of our community,” explained Tatiana Blanco, Field Operations Manager at FIMRC’s Project Alajuelita. “In addition, during the pandemic, the organization got in touch and asked us what we needed in order to safely reopen our clinic and proceeded to send us boxes and boxes of soap, disinfecting agents, disposable PPE gowns, paper towels, and more.”  

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency with a mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Some of UNFPA’s major support initiatives include reproductive health care for women and youth in more than 150 countries, which are home to more than 80 percent of the world’s population, reliable access to modern contraceptives sufficient to benefit 20 million women a year, and prevention of gender-based violence, which affects 1 in 3 women.

“We have been able to provide birth control and methods for around 30 women per month,” Blanco said of FIMRC’s partnership with UNFPA. “We’ve also been able to treat everything from yeast infections to chronic health issues as well as offer telehealth and on-site consults at our clinic. We hope in the future to be able to provide cancer-related health services such as colonoscopies and Pap smears. During such a difficult past year-and-a-half, we’re incredibly grateful for partners like the United Nations Population Fund.”

ABOUT FIMRC – Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving access to healthcare for families around the world through the implementation of innovative and self-sustaining health programs. Founded in 2002, incorporated in Washington, DC and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, FIMRC utilizes its network of outpatient clinics and partnerships to assert multidimensional strategy that includes clinical services, extensive community outreach efforts, and health education programs. For more information, visit fimrc.org. Facebook @officialfimrcpage and Instagram @fimrc