The US Women and PrEP Working Group held a webinar to discuss the latest in research and rollout of PrEP for women in the US. To learn more about the US Women and PrEP Working Group (and hear about upcoming webinars), visit www.prepwatch.org.
Avac Event
Ready, Set, PrEP: Update on current research and rollout of PrEP for women in the US
Avac Event
Thai Intravenous Drug User PrEP Trial Results
AVAC and the Harm Reduction Coalition organized a teleconference to discuss the recent results of the Bangkok Tenofovir Study, a Thai trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis in injecting drug users.
Presentations were followed by a Q&A session. Questions unanswered during the webinar are addressed in a supporting document, available here.
Also worth checking out, Beyond the Hype: PrEP for people who inject drugs by Daniel Wolfe.
Peter Katleho Ntheri
Updated January 2024
Peter is a social scientist. He is a member of Lesotho’s (CCM) Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund and sits on its Proposal Development Committee. He is also a member of Lesotho’s PrEP Technical Working Group.
Impact
As member of Lesotho’s CCM, Peter secured funding for the dapivirine vaginal ring, scale-up of HIV self-testing and multi-month dispensing of oral PrEP.
Catherine Madebe
Updated January 2024
Catherine works at the intersection of adolescent girls and young women and sexual and reproductive health. She co-leads the AGWY Forum, founded with 2018 Fellow Alumni Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi, and is a leading member of the Tanzania HIV Prevention Coalition. Catherine was named SRHR Best Celebrity in Eastern and Southern Africa for her outstanding performance by the Southern African AIDS Trust.
Impact
Catherine cofounded Tanzania’s AGYW Forum, the leading national level advocacy network for HIV prevention of young women. She also won increased funding for AGYW through her direct involvement in the Global Fund and PEPFAR processes.
Media
- Why Tanzania Should Consider New Options for HIV Prevention — The Citizen (Tanzania)
- Video: A New Method for HIV Prevention — W-News (Tanzania)
- Amplifying the Need for New HIV Prevention Options: Journalists take the lead! — Medium
- Empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women: Building an Inclusive Future — Medium
Materials
- Journalist Training: A Key Advocacy Strategy, ICASA 2023 Poster
Josephine Chinele
Josephine is multi-award winning journalist. She has been in the profession for 13 years and has done numerous health journalism fellowships, specializing in HIV/AIDS, general health and human rights. Josephine has also traveled extensively in pursuit of various journalism trainings and fellowships. Notably in 2018, she was selected to train in HIV science reporting and covered the International AIDS Conference held in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Why I Want to Advocate for HIV Prevention in 2019, and what I Plan To Do
My advocacy started from my work as a journalist pursuing investigative reporting and feature writing with a strong advocacy voice. This work exposed key policy issues such as the need for young women to access PrEP. In 2019, I will take aim to influence the Malawi government so that policies elevate adolescent girls and young women as a priority population for PrEP rollout. Specifically, I will advocate for an enabling environment for PrEP introduction, accurate and effective media coverage of HIV prevention, community engagement around ongoing research in Malawi and preparation for the potential introduction of the dapivirine ring.
Media
- Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and COVID-19 – Kulinji
- COVID-19, Yes But HIV Needs Attention Too – The Times
- ECHO Results Explained – MBC Prime News
- Do Common Contraceptives Increase Exposure to HIV? – The Nation
Sarah Nabia
Sarah is currently pursuing an MPH/MBA dual degree student at Bloomberg School of Public Health and Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University. She has worked among female sex workers, men who have sex with men and transgender persons across Southern Karnataka in India. Her work has focused on advocating for the inclusion of PrEP as part of combination prevention in the national HIV prevention policy. Sarah has also implemented a community-led approach to battling tuberculosis.
Fellowship Focus
While PrEP has been well received in India’s demonstration studies, it has also cultivated a groundswell of demand among the sex worker community at large. Sarah built political and community support for broader PrEP rollout. She mobilized stakeholders and directly participated in the development of India’s draft PrEP policy and guidelines, helping to ensure that they were inclusive of sex workers’ needs. She trained leading sex worker advocates in five states to pressure their State AIDS Control Societies for PrEP rollout and sensitized national media to report on the need for PrEP.
In Their Own Words
Map your field–allies, obstructures and the indifferent. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Every person can be a useful contributor in your efforts. There are no permanent friends or foes in advocacy.
Esnart Sikazindu
Esnart’s advocacy for differentiated PrEP services played out through social and traditional media. As Zambia moved PrEP out of ART clinics into more youth-friendly spaces, she saw an unfulfilled need to let young women know about PrEP and where to find it. Thus, she spread the word and built demand via social media.
She also took to the airwaves and print to let the general public know about PrEP as well as forthcoming HIV prevention like the PrEP ring and injectable. And not least, Esnart drafted a policy brief Too Little for Far Too Long: A Gap Analysis for Adolescent Girls and Young Women, which continues to be employed as an advocacy tool today.
End of Project Summary Video
Media
- PrEP Gaps Exposed, Zambia Daily Mail Limited
- How To Reduce Young Women’s HIV Risk: Go where they go, Zambia Daily Mail
- HIV Vaccines: Are You Aware?, Daily Mail Limited
Materials
Chisomo Chaweza
As a KP ally, Chisomo strategically selected MANERELA+, a network of religious leaders, to host him through his Fellow project. This reflects Chisomo’s big-tent approach to advocacy, tapping into all the key sectors to push for accelerated PrEP rollout in key populations. Specifically, he rallied demand for the release of the long-overdue PrEP Guidelines—finally launched in September, 2021.
And when the MOH was not forthcoming with where to find PrEP dispensing sites, Chisomo rallied pressure on PEPFAR to reveal this information. He handled the media as an advocacy tool from both sides—engaging them to consistently and accurately cover HIV prevention and also developing his own blog, Liberty, and writing opinion pieces. He drafted a policy brief Making up for Lost Time: Increasing Access to PrEP and HIV Self-testing for Key Populations in Malawi, which continues to be employed as an advocacy tool today by others such as the incoming 2022 Fellow.
End of Project Summary Video
Media
- Policy Brief: Making up for Lost Time Increasing Access to PrEP and HIV Self-testing for KPs in Malawi
- Read Chisomo’s blog, Liberty
- MANARELA pushes gov’t to roll out PrEP as Malawi keeps registering new HIV infections, CapitalFM
- PrEParing the Way — The Nation
- Ever heard of PrEP? It’s not HIV vaccine but can save you — Random Thoughts Blog
Materials
Liyema Somnono
Updated January 2024
Liyema is a gender and human rights activist. She is currently employed as a paralegal at SWEAT (Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task Force) and is a member of the drafting team for the national legislation to decriminalize sex work. Liyema is a member of the Eastern Cape AIDS Council Women’s Sector and serves on the Young Women’s HIV Prevention Council.
Impact
Liyema was a national leader in mobilizing testimonials for public comment in favor of South Africa’s sex worker decriminalization bill (which has been put on hold for now). She also initiated community-led monitoring, highlighting the struggles of young women in rural Eastern Cape to access HIV prevention and family planning services.
Media
- Decriminalization of sex work can help prevent HIV, Health-e News
Outreach
- Rural Youth: Underserved and Unsafe When Seeking Care, ICASA 2023 Poster
- Thursdays with Liz & Lee
Natasha Mwila
Updated January 2024
Natasha is the Advocacy, Information and Research Officer at The Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS. She is actively involved in advocacy and preparedness for the injectable PrEP and the PrEP vaginal ring.
Impact
Natasha successfully pressured Zambia to approve the dapivirine vaginal ring and CAB for PrEP, using both traditional and social media. She helped shape her country’s HIV Prevention Roadmap and guidelines for injectable PrEP. She also led Zambia’s PEPFAR COP process and was on the Global Fund writing team, ensuring allocations for HIV prevention.
Read about some of Natasha’s latest work in our CASPR Results Bulletin (October 2023).
Media
- Tackling HIV Among Adolescents, Times of Zambia
- Tik Tok Videos: 1, 2, 3
- Reducing HIV Infection Among Women Mwila’s Target, Zambia Daily Mail
- Guest on ZNBC Today, appearance begins at 38 minute mark
- New HIV Prevention Options: What will Zambia choose?, Zambia Daily Mail
- Zambian Women Demand Dapivirine Ring, Sunday Times of Zambia
Advocacy