The New Public Health Order: Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness in Africa
WACI Health, RANA and The Choice Agenda hosted a webinar on Thursday, February 29 called, “The New Public Health Order: Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness in Africa”
This webinar introduced key initiatives for the coming year from Africa CDC and the African Union and illuminate roles for civil society and community engagement. We heard from both Africa CDC representatives and key advocates on the development of these initiatives and what goals they intend to achieve.
Speakers:
Jens Pedersen– Senior Advisor for Africa CDC
Dr. Fifa Rahman – Pandemic Negotiations Consultant for Africa CDC
Now accepting applications for the 2024 Advocacy Navigator program
Advocacy Navigator program accepting applications
Dear Advocate,
Following a successful 2023 program, AVAC is delighted to launch the 2024 Advocacy Navigator program and invites applications from emerging advocates from Eastern and Southern Africa interested in strengthening their skills in HIV prevention advocacy. Applications for the Advocacy Navigator program are now being accepted through 8 March 2024.
The Advocacy Navigator combines training and mentorship for young and emerging advocates in the field of HIV prevention advocacy. The program brings together a small group of individuals for online knowledge- and skills-sharing sessions and pairs them with a mentor from AVAC’s alumni Fellows’ network to apply their learning to a community advocacy project. The program begins with three months of coursework and project development, followed by three months of implementation, when advocates work on their plans.
Twelve advocates from nine countries across Africa completed the Advocacy Navigator program in 2023. Their community projects ranged from advocacy for the introduction of and access to new prevention methods including the dapivirine vaginal ring and injectable PrEP, to the need for more available data for key populations, to a call for expanding choice in HIV prevention. Read testimonials from their experience here.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, it’s about recognizing the diversity of needs and implementing interventions that truly make a difference. It’s been eye-opening to witness how empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to advocate for their rights and educate their peers can be a catalyst for change. This project has instilled in me the belief that advocacy is not just about speaking up; it’s about equipping those affected by an issue with the tools they need to be the agents of change themselves.”
Since launching the AVAC Fellows program in 2009, AVAC has recognized the imperative to invest in mobilizing a growing cadre of HIV prevention advocates. The Advocacy Navigator program is leveraging the strength of this extraordinary alumni community to sustainably expand this model through a short online learning and mentorship program to a larger number of people.
The Advocacy Navigator is an AVAC initiative combining training and mentorship to young and emerging advocates in the field of HIV prevention advocacy. Mentors will serve as advisors to the Navigators, supporting them as they go through their coursework and while they design and implement their Community Advocacy Project. More information at www.avac.org/navigator.
Advocacy Navigator Call For Applications
Download the application here or click the link to the right of this page. Please note, you will need to download and fill the application on a laptop or desktop computer. It is not possible to use a mobile phone to fill out the application.
The Advocacy Navigator program is open to any individual interested in HIV prevention advocacy currently residing in Southern or Eastern Africa. This is a six month program with a three to four hour weekly time commitment. AVAC will provide online coursework in HIV prevention and advocacy and match participants with a mentor. Participants will receive a small project grant. More information at www.avac.org/navigator.
Advocacy Navigator Call for Mentor Applications
The Advocacy Navigator program is open to any AVAC Alumni interested in serving as a mentor to emerging HIV prevention advocates currently residing in Southern or Eastern Africa. This is a six month program in HIV prevention advocacy. The mentor time commitment should be approximately one to two hours per week with the Navigator program participant. A modest communication and mentorship stipend is available. More information at www.avac.org/navigator.
Avac Event
HIV Cure and the Environment: How location informs cure research
AVAC and REACH for the Cure hosted a webinar to discuss how the environment may impact HIV cure strategies. During this webinar, both organizations explored how clades, co-infections, early treatment, and other factors can help inform existing approaches to HIV cure research. Dr. Adam Ward of Weill Cornell Medicine shared the latest data followed by an informal conversation.
The new director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo joined AVAC Executive Director in conversation.
Avac Event
Cervical Cancer Awareness Month Webinar Series (Jan 11 to Feb 1)
Webinar 1: Cervical Cancer: What, where, and prevention and treatment options
Thursday January 11, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT
This webinar provided an overview of cervical cancer including what cervical cancer is, who is impacted, and prevention and treatment options.
Speakers included: Helen Kelly, Shona Dala, and Maribel Almonte Pacheco, WHO and Michelle Chevalier, US Department of State—Bureau of Global Health Security & Diplomacy/PEPFAR
Webinar 2: Advocacy and Cervical Cancer: Voices that are creating change
Thursday January 18, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT
During this webinar, we heard from advocates on how they have used their voice to bring more attention to cervical cancer and its impact on communities.
Speakers include: Tamika Felder, Cervivor and Karen Nakawala, Teal Sisters Foundation Zambia
Remembering a Legacy and Celebrating AVAC Fellow Alumni
For over a decade, the AVAC Advocacy Fellows Program has played a role in shaping the landscape of HIV prevention by strengthening leadership skills and building a growing and evolving network of fierce and unstoppable advocates. Last year, AVAC released A Legacy of Impact: The power and reach of AVAC’s Advocacy Fellows to tell the story of the Fellows program and to share testimonies of impact from research to policy, and beyond.
Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day dedicated to the importance of advocacy to influence change, AVAC honors its nearly 100 Fellow alumni and applauds our most recent class which closed out their fellowship in December.
Read on for testimonies from the AVAC 2022/2023 Fellows and explore their work in their individual pages.
AVAC 2022/2023 Fellows in their words
Learn about Ruth’s work around the approval and rollout of the dual prevention pill (DPP) in Uganda here.
Learn about Onward’s work with engaging religious institutions on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Zimbabwe here.
Learn about Prince’s work ensuring access to injectable CAB for PrEP for trans people in Malawi here.
Learn about Catherine’s work in the rollout and implementation of the dapivirine vaginal ring for adolescents and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania here.
Learn about Natasha’s advocacy for the approval of the dapivirine vaginal ring and injectable CAB for PrEP in Zambia here.
Learn about Peter’s work with differentiated service delivery of PrEP and expediting new PrEP tools in Lesotho here.
Learn about Elizabeth’s work advocating for sex workers and people who use drugs (PUD) here.
Learn about Liyema’s work on advocating and implementing the decriminalization of sex work in South Africa here.
Get to know the full AVAC Fellows community by exploring the full alumni database and stay tuned to meet the 2024/2025 class to be announced in April!
New Year, New PrEPWatch Resources
In 2024 we look forward to continuing to provide advocates with tools to support our collective work to ensure access to PrEP in all its forms to all who can benefit from it.
PrEPWatch.org has grown significantly in the past year, reaching a growing number of implementers, policy makers and advocates with continually updated tools and information that are instrumental to delivering the growing range of HIV prevention options. Throughout 2023, visitors from every country in the world have used PrEPWatch.org, a one-stop online clearinghouse of data, guidelines, tracking tools and other resources to help the global community speed the delivery of every proven method of PrEP to everyone who needs it. Check out what’s new and updated on PrEPWatch.org!
PrEPWatch has added 35 new country pages where you can find the status of drug registration for PrEP products, data on PrEP initiations by product, country-level PEPFAR targets, and links to key policy documents and guidelines.
The Integrated Study Dashboard
Produced under the BioPIC project, the Integrated Study Dashboard tracks all currently known activities relating to implementation research, modelling, clinical research, and landscaping for new biomedical HIV PrEP options, including CAB for PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR), and has been recently expanded to include links to study results and study websites. The dashboard is updated in real time, and links to results will be added as they become available.
More Essential Resources on PrEPWatch.org
Tracking Country Planning for Product Introduction
The Country Planning for Product Introduction Matrix tracks key indicators for the introduction of injectable CAB and the DVR by country, including regulatory status, late-stage clinical trials and implementation research, procurement plans, and recent oral PrEP provision.
Training PrEP Champions
Among the most popular resources on PrEPWatch, the HIV Prevention Ambassador Training Package and Toolkit prepares potential and current PrEP users to be leaders – and “Ambassadors” – in the rollout of PrEP for HIV prevention in their communities. Developed as part of the MOSAIC project, it includes a training manual and resources for Ambassadors to use in peer outreach and community education.
Trends in PrEP Initiations
The Global PrEP Tracker provides quarterly updates on global trends in PrEP initiation by geography, delivery models, and more. The Global PrEP Tracker has become an indispensable resource for following the state of the field in delivering PrEP.
We hope these tools, created through strong partnerships and joint effort, support your work to accelerate the delivery of HIV prevention options. We are always interested in collaboration to ensure needed resources are developed and up to date. If you have information to share or resource needs, please let us know by reaching out to [email protected] and [email protected].
