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A little history...

In 2006, a Texas non-profit called “Brazos Abiertos” (Open Arms) came to Mérida with a group of teenagers and young adults to develop an international program in Mexico. The project curriculum was a culturally sensitive sex education program that lead to the creation of Brazos Abiertos Internaciónal (Fundación BAI). In its earliest stages, BAI partnered with a community organization, “Ayudar es compartir” (To Help is to Share), to provide educators who conducted the first peer-led education program and provided the facilities to hold the classes. Fundación BAI A.C. is now an independent non-profit agency formally established in Mérida, México in 2007.

Between 2006 and 2008, a significant part of Brazos Abiertos funds went to AIDS shelters in the Yucatán. They soon discovered these funds were paying for a lot of funerals. This realization lead to the formalization of Fundación BAI in Mérida. It began with the development of a peer-to-peer sex education program with prevention at its heart.

Though Fundación BAI began in response to the high rates of HIV/AIDS in Yucatán, we have since expanded our mission and goals to include education about other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the prevention of teenage pregnancies.

Our mission is to empower the people of the Yucatán to respond to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STI's), and teenage pregnancies in order to live healthy lives.

Our vision is to be the catalyst for change where knowledge, prevention and treatment replace fear, discrimination and prejudice.

Our goals are to decrease the spread of HIV and other STI's, and decrease teenage pregnancy rates in the Yucatán.

Served upwards of 40,000 teenagers and adults across the Yucatán Peninsula

Our achievements to date

Hosted or co-hosted over 1,500 health events

Conducted over 100 healthy relationship workshops

Expanded our education programs to reach 10,000 students

Currently supporting and monitoring around 200

HIV positive clients

The who´s who of Fundación BAI...

Dr. Carlos Cabrera, Executive Director

Dr. Carlos Antonio Cabrera May is a Medical Doctor by the Autonomous University of Yucatan, he completed an internship specializing in HIV care, at the prestigious Crofoot Research Center, in Houston, Texas. He also completed a professional stay in Global Affairs on HIV and AIDS at the International Institute of Health in Michigan State University and is a member of the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) of the United States of America.

He is a Principal Investigator at the Medical Care and Health Research Unit (UNAMIS) in clinical research trials, in the prevention and treatment of HIV and other infectious diseases. In addition, he is the Executive Director of Fundacion BAI A.C., whose mission is to empower people and health professionals to respond to HIV, AIDS, other STIs, and teenage pregnancy; as well as promoting science and research. He served as the Country Director of Brazos Abiertos Inc. based in Houston, Texas. Additionally, he has lectured conferences both domestically and internationally, where he has been recognized for his work and trajectory.

Dr. Cabrera has been honored to serve in the Yucatan state Health Advisory Committee for the COVID-19 pandemic response, he is a member of the State Committee for the prevention and control of HIV - AIDS and other STIs in Yucatan (COESIDA - Yucatan); President of the Group of Studies on HIV - AIDS of Mexico between 2018 – 2020, (GEVIHSS A.C.); member of the City Health Council, the Development Planning Council and the Municipal Council against Discrimination, all from the City of Mérida. He has been a treating HIV specialist for over 10 years and currently serves in the honorable position of Physician, as Foreign Service National of the Department of State of the United States of America, at the Consulate General in Mérida, where he has received numerous recognition awards.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS