Elizabeth Onyango

What inspires you to work in the HIV field?

I have a very personal relationship with HIV. Growing up, I lost close family and friends to HIV and AIDS and saw how cultural beliefs and practices exposed women and girls to contracting HIV. From the experiences I had with HIV and what they taught us in school, I became fearful of HIV. There was this story in primary school with a picture of a very malnourished and seemingly sick person, with “UKIMWI UNAUA” written in bold (this translates to “HIV kills”).

My knowledge of HIV was that of death and fear throughout my young age until I was in high school and our life skills teacher started teaching us about the different ways to protect ourselves from unplanned pregnancies. She mentioned this product that helps protect against HIV, STIs and pregnancy – the condom! I became interested and started doing my own research on HIV prevention. After high school, I started as a volunteer at Coast Sex Workers Alliance, a female sex worker-led organization that works to champion for human and health rights of sex workers. That’s where I gained an immense passion for HIV advocacy.

What are your goals as an IAS change maker?

My goal as an IAS change maker is to champion for meaningful engagement of women and girls in the roll out and design of HIV prevention products and advocate for structural changes to improve the quality of life of women living with HIV. I also want to inspire young women to push for engagement in regional and international spaces where decisions about their health are made.