March 14, 2022
AVAC is delighted to announce the 2022 AVAC Advocacy Fellows, marking the 12th class of the flagship Fellows Program. This group of eight advocates will participate in an 18-month program that supports their advocacy efforts, invests in the further development of their skills, shapes the agenda for HIV prevention research, and influences how quickly new interventions move into policy and programs in their communities and countries.
In response to the success of the program in its first decade and a comprehensive evaluation to expand and improve on that foundation, the program will now run for 18 months, enabling extended support to Fellows’ advocacy priorities. In addition, the program will strengthen the role of the alumni network in the program and strengthen the linkages between organizational partners.
The 2022 Fellows were selected from a pool of 140 applicants from 12 countries. The 2022 Advocacy Fellows and their host organizations include:
- Ruth Akulu, International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa, Uganda
- Onward Chironda, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
- Catherine Madebe, Mulika Tanzania, Tanzania
- Prince Mikel Juao, Lesbians Intersex Trans and other Extensions, Malawi
- Natasha Mwila, The Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS, Zambia
- Peter Ntheri, Lesotho Network of AIDS Service Organization, Lesotho
- Elizabeth Onyango, Coast Sex Workers Alliance, Kenya
- Liyema Somnono, Passionate Unlimited Peers in Action, South Africa
Please visit the Advocacy Fellows page to learn more about their planned work for the year. We hope you’ll find ways to collaborate with them in 2022 and beyond.
We are also extremely proud of the important achievements of the recently graduated Fellows of 2020/21. Their evidence-based advocacy focused on critical areas and marked significant progress to help accelerate ethical research and equitable access to HIV prevention options. Advocacy like this overcomes historic barriers to HIV prevention and represents a foundation the field must continue to invest in to finally end the epidemic. Keep watching this space to learn how the 2022 Fellows and the alumni Fellows carry this vital work forward.
Thank you to all of the applicants and their proposed host organizations for the time and effort put into the application process, and to the independent review committee of advocates, scientists and former Fellows and hosts who guided our decision-making.