Pool Reports by Emily Goodin, Daily Nail
| Sent: | Reports: |
| May 21, 2022 14:53 EST |
FLOTUS travel pool report #1 - Good Samaritan Home visit and FLOTUS announces more State Department funding Motorcade left the RON at 12:54 pm local time (-1 ET) and arrived at the Casa Hogar El Buen Samaritano (The Good Samaritan Home), a shelter which houses those living with HIV/AIDS and assists with their care, at 1:31 pm. News out of the event is Dr. Biden announced more State Department funding for PEPFAR. "The state department is making an announcement for increased funding for PEPFAR," she said. "There is hope on the horizon." More Biden: "I see this great community. I see how hard you're all working and, maybe with the additional funding that we will be announcing today, I'm hoping that it makes a difference for you." Details: "Today the United States is announcing $80.9 million in new PEPFAR funding for the region, which includes $12.2 million for Panama. This funding, pending Congressional notification, will support expanded HIV/AIDS services and treatment," said East Wing spokesperson Michael LaRosa. Now the rundown of the event: Dr. Biden came in and was greeted by the director of the center. She is wearing a light blue dress with dark patterns on it and a face mask. The introductions are in Spanish. Dr. Biden has a translator, who has been traveling on this trip with us. It was hard to hear the intros from pool position. They showed her a plaque they made with her picture on it and today's date to mark her visit. "Oh nice, that's so nice," she said. She posed for a photo with it. She then went into an outdoor courtyard to hear from aide workers and some residents. There are five others at the table besides her and about a dozen people in the audience listening. They are embassy staff and staff of the Samaritan House. Dr. Biden walked around the table to shake everyone's hand and introduce herself. "I'm glad we have the opportunity to talk about how the United States and Panama can work together to combat HIV," she said at the top. Dr. Biden has a binder with her that she took notes in during the conversation. Each person at the table made brief remarks in Spanish, which were translated. Ricardo Beteta Bond, The Association of New Men and Women of Panama, talked about his work HIV positive men and said the HIV rate among men in Panama is 10.6 percent. He talked about how Panama "has a big homophobic movement" and that gay people face much discrimination. Nandin Solis, Wigudun Galu Association, said she has been looking HIV positive since 1999 and talked about her work fighting for trans rights in the country. Raul Tugri, a former resident of the Samaritan House, said he was diagnosed HIV positive in 2014 "But this is something we don't talk about in my village" and "that is why we have to migrate to big cities." Dr. Orlando Quintero is pediatric doctor who has been HIV positive for 37 years. He talked about the treatment he's received that has allowed him to live. Dr. Biden asked why the infection rate was going up with all the prevention programs. Bond said it was a complicated answer. He said the media talks about HIV infection in general but doesn't talk about gay men in particular. He said there's not enough programs in general and no programs in school. He said trans people can be harassed by police when going to get medicine. Solis said she is from an indigenous population and is discrimination against for three reasons: being indigenous, being trans and being HIV positive. Dr. Biden asked if the discrimination can be addressed through education. Father Domingo Escobar, Founder and Executive Director, Good Samaritan Home, said it's a social issue and that it needs to be addressed in schools and within families. Quintero said there is no sex education in schools or in homes. Said it is a "taboo issue" not only in Panama but in Latin America. Said "there has to be stronger sexual education here." Said they are fighting three viruses - the HIV, the stigma and the discrimination. Bond said the funding for the program will run out in two months and "I am very angry." He said program Biden said: "The state department is making an announcement for increased funding for PEPFAR" (which funds HIV/AIDS programs - see background below). More Biden: "So I think for you - and you know - for other people HIV positive, there is hope on the horizon. It seems to me - and I'm no expert in this area - but it seems to me that you're kind of rolling a stone up a hill in that problem is so much deeper." "I think it starts within the family unit within the churches, to start changing people's attitudes. I have hope for you," Biden said. She said the Covid pandemic serves as a good example: "You got 70% of your population vaccinated, you know, which was a big deal." More Biden: "I mean, I see this great community. I see how hard you're all working and, maybe with the additional funding that we will be announcing today, I'm hoping that it makes a difference for you." The round table participants thanked her. Solis gave her a present from the indigenous people. It was black with colored embroidery. Pool is trying to find out more. Afterward a single mother to shy to speak at the round table came up to Dr. Biden to share her story about having HIV. Panama has the third highest HIV prevalence in Central America, which is estimated at 0.8% in the general population. Background from East Wing: This afternoon, the First Lady will visit Casa Hogar El Buen Samaritano ("The Good Samaritan Home"), a shelter that houses persons living with HIV/AIDS and assists with their care. She will hold a conversation with an outpatient of this shelter and other Panamanians living with HIV who advocate for the rights of marginalized communities and benefit from U.S-funded HIV/AIDS relief programs. The purpose of Dr. Biden's visit is to hear directly from individuals living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS in Panama, and to learn about how the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)'s comprehensive approach to epidemic control serves communities through local partnerships. The First Lady will arrive and greet with the following individuals:
Conversation Participants
Background: Panama had the highest number of newly notified cases of HIV/AIDS in Central America in 2020, and there are now an estimated 31,000 people living with HIV in the country. The Good Samaritan Home is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) connected to the Catholic Church that provides services and shelter for adults with HIV/AIDS who lack family support and economic resources. The NGO provides holistic support, including transit to medical appointments; HIV treatment; and physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery. It works to sensitize society to the problem of HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the illness as a problem that concerns everyone without distinction to ethnicity, gender, age, creed, or sexual orientation. The Good Samaritan Home receives funding from private organizations and the Panamanian government. Pope Francis visited the Good Samaritan Home on January 27, 2019. Since PEPFAR's inception and with bilateral support, the U.S. Government has invested $100 billion to transform the global AIDS response, a commitment which President Biden elevated on World AIDS Day 2021. President Biden will host the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund)'s Seventh Replenishment conference in September 2022. There are two U.S. agencies implementing PEPFAR activities in Panama: the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At 2:42 pm the motorcade is rolling. Next we head to the airport for the flight to Costa Rica. |
| May 21, 2022 15:54 EST |
FLOTUS travel pool report #2 - airport arrival and departure for Costa Rica Motorcade arrived at Panamá Pacífico International Airport at 3:19 pm. The charge d'affairs from the embassy greeted Dr. Biden upon arrival. Dr. Biden took photos with her police escort, staff and local officials before we departed. She boarded the plane, waving at the top. Executive One Foxtrot is wheels up for San Jose shortly. It's about a one hour flight. |
| May 21, 2022 16:25 CST |
FLOTUS travel pool report #3 - arrival in Costa Rica Executive One Foxtrot was wheels down at Juan Santamaría International Airport at 3:38 pm local time (-2 ET). Signe Zeicate, First Lady of Costa Rica, was among those who greeted Dr. Biden upon arrival. She and Biden shook hands. FLOTUS kissed Ambassador Cynthia Telles, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, on the cheek. Biden was also greeted by STEM students she met during her 2016 visit to Costa Rica. She shook hands with all of them. All the greeters (see full list below) posed for a photo with FLOTUS. Biden waved to pool as she got in her car. Biden is now wearing a pink dress with a floral pattern. From East Wing: As Second Lady, Dr. Biden travelled to San José, Costa Rica as her first stop of a four-country trip to Central and South America, which also included Peru, Argentina, and Panama. During her visit, she met about 80 high school-age girls studying STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) fields at public bilingual and scientific schools. Four of the students she met – as well as two students who currently attend scientific high schools – will be on the tarmac to greet her on arrival. Tarmac Arrival Greeters
Note: the gift Dr. Biden received at the last stop in Panama was a vest. We're headed to the Chief of Mission Residence where she will meet with Costa Rican women who have participated in U.S. State Department programs focused on women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. After that event, still at the Chief of Mission Residence, FLOTUS will meet with Rodrigo Chaves, President of Costa Rica; Signe Zeicate, First Lady of Costa Rica; and members of President Chaves' cabinet. At 3:58 pm the motorcade is rolling. |
| May 21, 2022 17:14 CST |
FLOTUS travel pool #4 - women business leader event Motorcade arrived at the Chief of Mission Residence at 4:18 pm. 17 women are sitting in the audience. The event is taking place on the back patio of the residence. There is a tile patio area surrounded by tropical flowers in red, orange, yellow and purple. There is a podium with an American flag and Costa Rican flag on either side. The program began at 4:31 pm. "Hello, nice to be here," Biden said, waving as she walked in. Ambassador Cynthia Telles, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, in her introduction, called Dr. Biden her "hero." "I read all of your bios and you're all really inspiring women," Biden said at the top. From her remarks (as always please check against transcript): "Women nurse and nurture, teach and build, learn and dream. … Women are not silent but have been silenced. Women have been silenced with violence and intimidation with discrimination and isolation. …For many women around the world, simply raising their voice is a struggle. And they had to fight for a seat at the table. …They left their jobs and you have to choose between taking care of the children and the careers that gave them economic freedom and a sense of purpose." More: "But when women get the opportunities that they deserve, when we pay them what their work is worth, there is no limit to what we can do. Right? She closed with "I guess I should put a mask on but I'd like to come by and say hi to all of you. … Don't be glued to their chairs." Biden put a mask on and the women got up to surround her at front. She asked them about their businesses and encouraged them to talk to one another. "Oh you're the feathers," Biden said to one of the women. The woman makes art with feathers. Biden then asked her to show pictures of her work. The woman pulled out her phone to show them but pool couldn't see them. She asked if the woman pulled out the feathers herself and was told no. "Good because I wouldn't want to pull out feathers," Biden said. Another woman gave her a brooch she made. Biden had her pin it on her dress. It is gray and flower shaped. "You are doing god's work," she said to one woman who said she was a teacher. Another woman was a vet and another an architect. Many of the women spoke English but a few spoke Spanish and were translated. One who said she is a fashion designer complimented FLOTUS on the dress she is wearing. They all posed for a group photo as event wrapped at 5:07 pm. Background from the East Wing: The First Lady will depart the airport for the Chief of Mission Residence in San Jose. She will give remarks to women entrepreneurs who have participated in U.S. State Department-sponsored programs focused on entrepreneurship. The women in attendance are in different places of their entrepreneurship journeys; some gained basic skills that helped them expand their small businesses, while others are highly successful entrepreneurs. Nearly all of the women participated in one of three programs: the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), and the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The U.S. Embassy San Jose supports a range of entrepreneurship programs and resources to promote the economic empowerment of women in Costa Rica, particularly targeting women in rural and underserved areas. These programs provide women with knowledge, networks, and access to launch and scale successful businesses. Speakers
Pool is now holding to wait for the president of Costa Rica's arrival. |
| May 21, 2022 17:57 CST |
FLOTUS travel pool report #5 - greeting with president of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves, President of Costa Rica, and Signe Zeicate, First Lady of Costa Rica, arrived at the Chief of Mission Residence at 5:36 pm. Chaves spoke in Spanish to the Costa Rican press, holding his wife's hand, while Dr. Biden and Ambassador Cynthia Telles, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, waited in the doorway. When they walked to the doorway, Chaves said in English: "Madame First Lady. What a great pleasure and honor." He asked what he should call Dr. Biden and she said: "Jill." Chaves stood between his wife and Dr. Biden, in the doorway, for photos: "I'm a very lucky man," he said. There is an American flag on one side of the door and a Costa Rican flag on the other. Pool asked what they planned to talks about, Chaves answered in English. Said they would talk about the "more than 150 years of diplomatic relationships, how to bring our countries closer together. … And to welcome our very precious guest." At 5:39 pm they went into the residence. From the East Wing: The First Lady and Ambassador Telles will remain at the Chief of Mission Residence to meet with Rodrigo Chaves, President of Costa Rica; Signe Zeicate, First Lady of Costa Rica; and members of President Chaves' cabinet. At 5:46 pm pool is headed to the RON. FLOTUS is staying at the Ambassador's residence for dinner with the president and First Lady of Costa Rica and others. That's all for today. More tomorrow! |
Jill Biden, First Lady Pool Reports of May 21, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/356048