Community Highlights: Meet Esteban Duarte of VIDA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Esteban Duarte.

Hi Esteban, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At VIDA, we place value on the lives of all Latinxs. Our mission is to foster education around HIV—how to protect yourself and your partner, or how to live a long, healthy, and happy life if you’re living with HIV. It makes no difference to us which side of HIV you’re on. Your life matters and is worth living to its fullest.
Nearly everyone in the U.S. and abroad knows someone affected by HIV—whether it’s a friend, family member, or someone they’re romantically or sexually involved with.

Thanks to the OraSure HIV Self-Collect Test Kit, VIDA has truly taken off. We serve Riverside County, Orange County, Los Angeles, Tijuana, and our home base, San Diego—as well as any organization that invites us. To date, we’ve distributed more than 2,500 test kits in our communities.

Thanks to support from individuals and organizations like Snowflake (The Rail), Urbano Pelicon (The Rail), Glitz Glam (Urban MO’s), Ivy Rooney (IVY Pharmacy), Donnie Vella (Bears San Diego), Karla Quezada-Torres (Gilead), Ruben Torres, and so many others, we’ve been able to provide vital resources to our LGBTQIA+ communities. Last year alone, we distributed 408 HIV Self-Collect Test Kits.

In addition to that, we launched the “Feed People Experiencing Homelessness” project. This Christmas, we’ll reach a total of 2,850 meals served to people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The first year we fed 100 people, then 200, 300, 500, 1,000—and this Christmas Eve, we’ll provide 750 meals.
As someone who has experienced homelessness myself, I know how it feels to be discarded by society. That’s why I started this project. Sometimes, a little love is all it takes to change someone’s day—or even their life.

But VIDA didn’t stop there. We also created the LGBTQIA+ Latinx Scholarship Program. To date, we’ve awarded $15,000 in scholarships to LGBTQ Latinx students from either Tijuana, Baja California or San Diego, California. VIDA believes in building bridges, not walls. We award scholarships to individuals who are creating meaningful, positive changes in our communities and the world. This year, we’ll award three $1,000 scholarships on Friday, September 12th, as we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month.

Every year, VIDA also recognizes three community leaders for their outstanding contributions to the LGBTQIA+ Latinx community. This year, please join me in celebrating:
• Michelle Sandoval-Rosario, DrPH, MPH – Public Health Leader
• Max Disposti – Founder & Executive Director, North County LGBTQ Resource Center
• Jason Cuneo – Board Member, POZabilities & Senior Services Program Manager at The San Diego LGBT Community Center

Their service, collaboration, and dedication have made an invaluable impact on our communities. The VIDA Board of Directors and I are deeply humbled to honor them at the 6th Annual LGBTQA+ Latinx Scholarship Luncheon on September 12th at Urban MO’s.
And still, we keep pushing forward. With the rise in fentanyl and opioid overdoses, VIDA has partnered with the State of California, The Rail, IVY Pharmacy, Bears San Diego, Urban MO’s, and Snowflake to distribute NARCAN and fentanyl test strips. Last year, we distributed 1,150 fentanyl test strips and 177 doses of NARCAN.

Each year, we also host our annual Día de Los Muertos fundraiser, which supports the purchase of HIV test kits, hygiene items, and dog food. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, November 2nd, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Urban MO’s. Tickets go on sale in September for $20. Hosted by the fabulous ChiChi Fuera, the evening will feature stunning performances by Mariachi Arcoíris de Los Angeles, alongside drag and dance acts by Snowflake, Maya Glitterzone, Isabelle, Catalina, and more surprise guests.

This October, VIDA celebrates 12 years of community service.

We’re here to educate, protect, support, and celebrate life.

VIDA means LIFE.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This September marks one year since I became disabled. That forced me to slow down and step back from tabling and participating in community events as much as I used to—especially at Urban MO’s. Thankfully, thanks to Snowflake, Bears San Diego, our board members, and volunteers, VIDA continues to thrive in the community.

Funding has always been a challenge, and with the current administration, it’s even harder to locate and secure support. But thanks to generous private donations, we’ve been able to keep moving forward.

And then there’s the ongoing fight: breaking down the walls of stigma, racism, and discrimination that hinder progress.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about VIDA?
VIDA is committed to ending the HIV crisis in the Latinx community. Social stigma, poverty, language barriers, education gaps, and limited access to care all prevent testing and drive higher infection rates. VIDA addresses these challenges through health promotion, HIV education, advocacy, and building meaningful partnerships with community organizations and leaders.

We exist to create real, lasting change—and to eradicate health disparities in our community.

Mi Gente. Mi VIDA.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Helping people who are less fortunate.

I’ve seen the urgent need to support those who are struggling—especially now, as inflation and economic instability make life harder and harder. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck. They can’t afford rent, medications, or even basic necessities. The homeless population is growing, and VIDA is partnering with IVY Pharmacy to provide hygiene products and dog food to people living in encampments.

What makes me happiest? Seeing the smiles on people’s faces when we hand them bags filled with food, health, and beauty products. You can feel the gratitude.
Hearing that one of our NARCAN kits saved someone’s life.

I was raised to believe that we are all blessed—and we’re here to help others who aren’t as fortunate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vida.community/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vidaorg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vidaeuorg/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vidacommunity
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vida3184
• Other: https://youtu.be/TK_xISodnps

Image Credits
Big Mike Photography
[XPOZD] Photography