Global Fund Welcomes New Members to the Youth Council
27 September 2024
The Global Fund is excited to announce the new members of its Youth Council.
The Youth Council, established in January 2020 by Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, brings together a dynamic group of young individuals living with, affected by, or vulnerable to HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and/or malaria. It serves as an advisory body to the Executive Director and the Global Fund Secretariat on matters related to adolescents and youth. By providing insights through the youth lens, the Youth Council relays critical issues and contextual nuances from across countries eligible to receive Global Fund allocations, and seeks to ensure that the Global Fund is informed by the unique needs and perspectives of young people to maximize the impact its investments.
The call for applications attracted almost 1,600 applications and culminated in the selection of eight outstanding candidates. They bring invaluable lived experience and a diversity of youth perspectives on health, rights and well-being from Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda.
Grace Ngulube, the current Chair of the Youth Council, expressed her gratitude to the outgoing members for their contributions since the Youth Council’s inception in 2020: “Engaging with the Executive Director of the Global Fund in 2020 was a transformative experience for us as a group of young people. The expertise and experiences of our transitioning members have significantly shaped the Youth Council’s vision, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”
Horacio Barreda, is the current Vice Chair and will assume the role of Chair in 2025. He shared his enthusiasm for collaborating with the new Youth Council to advocate for youth-related priorities at the highest levels of the Global Fund: “The challenge of eradicating the three diseases as epidemics is still very much alive. As political priorities shift and anti-gender, anti-rights movements gain momentum, resources to combat the three diseases are dwindling. It’s crucial that we ensure youth priorities are not diluted in such a context. I am hopeful that with the new Youth Council, we can bolster our engagement at the highest decision-making levels of the Global Fund.”
Meet the 2024-2026 Youth Council Members
Grace Ngulube (Malawi, Chair)
Grace Ngulube is a HER Voice Fund ambassador for Malawi, board member of the National Association for Young People Living With HIV and AIDS in Malawi (Yplus Malawi), and founder of Youth Health Connect360. She is dedicated to empowering young people and advocating for youth-friendly health services.
Horacio Barreda (Argentina, Vice Chair)
Horacio Barreda is a youth activist from Argentina, dedicated to championing the rights of young people living with HIV. Since 2014, he has been an active member of the National Network of Young People Living with HIV (RAJAP). He also serves as Board Chair of the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global).
Farida Tiemtoré (Burkina Faso)
Farida Tiemtoré, a dynamic Burkinabe blogger, is dedicated to youth and women’s issues, particularly in combating malaria, HIV and other public health challenges. As the founder and president of Les Héroïnes du Faso, she mobilizes communities and raises awareness. She also serves as the Head of Information and Public Relations for the Voix Essentielles Network in Burkina Faso.
Iván Molina Aranibar (Bolivia)
Iván Molina Aranibar, from Oruro, Bolivia, was diagnosed with HIV at 18. Inspired by the loss of a close friend to TB and HIV, he is a strong advocate for HIV and TB awareness. A fourth-year law student, he uses his education and experience to support youth communities, to ensure no one is left behind.
Bello Abdussalam (Nigeria)
Bello Abdussalam is a Nigerian medical doctor and passionate about empowering future health leaders. He serves as the Global Youth Coordinator for the Global Coalition of TB Advocates. He is also on the steering committee for the Early Career Researchers Network with the Stop TB Partnership.
Bella Aubree (Indonesia)
Bella Aubree, a young Indonesian trans woman, is the National Coordinator of Inti Muda Indonesia. She has dedicated nearly six years to working on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, TB and human rights, focusing on young key populations and people living with HIV.
Amanda Martty Dushime (Burundi)
Amanda Martty Dushime is a dynamic young woman from Burundi living with HIV, and has been a peer educator at l’Association nationale de soutien aux séropositifs et malades du sida (ANSS) since 2018. She is a young ambassador for the Brighter Futures Network, promoting youth leadership in HIV responses.
Laura Lontsi Tsakou (Cameroon)
Laura Lontsi Tsakou is a Cameroonian activist who co-founded the Cameroonian Network of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV (RéCAJ+) and the West and Central Africa Network (RAJ+AOC). She currently serves as the Advocacy, Resource Mobilization, and Communication Manager at RéCAJ+ and Executive Secretary at the Young Girls and Women Lead Association (YOGAWOL).
Nana Millers (Uganda)
Nana Millers is a rural transgender youth sex worker activist from Uganda, and the founder and Executive Director of the Trans Youth Initiative-Uganda. She advocates for the rights of rural transgender women, sex workers and gender-diverse youth.
Himani Verma (India)
Himani Verma is a TB survivor from Chhattisgarh, India, and has been advocating for stigma-free TB services since her diagnosis in 2017. She is an active member of the TB Mukt Chhattisgarh Foundation.
Uluk Batyrgaliev (Kyrgyzstan)
Uluk Batyrgaliev is a young sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) activist from Kyrgyzstan. He serves as the SRHR Coordinator at the Eurasian Coalition for Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM) and Vice-Chair on International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Board of Trustees. He also serves on the Expert Committee of the Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.