Bahati Thomas Haule

Bahati is a rising advocate from Tanzania, advancing the rights and well-being of people living with HIV (PLHIV), women, youth and marginalized communities. She has professional experience in the HIV response as a programs officer. She is also community representative in several spaces, including Tanzania Commission for AIDS, Medicines Patent Pool, AfroCAB and UNITAID. As an AVAC 2024 Advocacy Fellow, Bahati will focus on the scale-up of U=U for better health outcomes for those living with HIV as well as lower rates of HIV transmission among their sexual partners. She believes in a future where health, gender equity, and social justice intersect to create a world of inclusivity and empowerment.

Media & Advocacy

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.

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Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi, MD

Lilian is a youth advocate who for the past four years has volunteered at TAYOA (Tanzania Youth Alliance) as a peer educator and counselor for a national health hotline, providing information, counseling and referral services to clients. Lilian also served as a differentiated care youth champion, advocating for different ART delivery models for young people living with HIV in Tanzania. She strongly believes in the meaningful engagement of young people to bring out positive change including preventing new HIV transmission and ending AIDS. Lilian attained her medical degree in 2017 at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University based in Dar es Salaam.

Advocacy Accomplishments for the Year
As the first AVAC Fellow in Tanzania, Lilian blazed a trail successfully pushing for the transition of PrEP from demonstration to scale-up, as reflected in COP 2019. She secured a seat in the PrEP and HIV self-test technical working group, where she advocated for the amendment of The Tanzania HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2018 to pave the way for HIV self-testing and a lower age of consent for HIV testing from 18 to 15 years. Additionally, Lilian’s social media presence and her direct training of hotline operators helped introduce PrEP and self-testing to scores of uninitiated Tanzanians.

In Her Own Words
“I feel like a widely knowledgeable advocate now. There were things I never knew in terms of evidence and research-based information, and different advocacy tactics. So, this year has been a series of practical lessons to improve my knowledge base and applying different advocacy tactics.”

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Media