Organization: Let's Be Transformed (MAGUFINA)
Region: Africa
Nationality: Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Country: Malawi
Interests & expertise: Community leadership
Profession or occupation: Advocate/activist
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
In 2021, I watched my close friend die from AIDS-related causes in Dzaleka Refugee Camp – not because treatment was not available, but because stigma kept him silent until it was too late. His death revealed a deadly pattern: refugee youth knew about HIV but avoided testing because in our crowded camp, everyone sees who enters the HIV clinic. That loss transformed my grief into action. I realized that knowledge campaigns were not enough – we needed to dismantle the barriers of stigma and fear. Now I lead peer-driven approaches that bring confidential testing directly to young people, proving that those most affected can design the most effective solutions.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
As an IAS change maker, I have three evidence-driven goals:
- Establish peer-led HIV self-testing as standard practice across Africa’s 4.5 million displaced young people, scaling my model that achieved 65% testing increases.
- Build a Pan-African network of refugee health leaders who transform our communities from aid recipients to innovation designers.
- Influence WHO and UNHCR policies to mandate refugee inclusion in national HIV strategies – not as afterthoughts but as co-designers.
By AIDS 2030, I envision refugee youth leading HIV responses globally, proving that those closest to the problem create the most effective solutions. My lived experience is my qualification.