Resty Nalwanga

         Uganda

Resty Nalwanga is a founder and Executive Director of Tendo’s World (arts & health) organization where she oversees the promotion of good health among adolescent girls, young women, and teen mothers living with and affected by HIV in rural areas—many of whom have encountered denial due to early pregnancies and whose basic needs are often unmet due to poverty. She worked with the Uganda Network of young people living with HIV & AIDS as a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) officer from 2013-2017 and she has directly engaged in the field of HIV since 2008 from Kawempe home care as a youth counselor, data clerk, and receptionist.

Resty is a global fund advocate speaker with the Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN), and represents young women living with HIV at National validation committee on elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) and a member on adolescent treatment coalition. She has championed in the campaign of #WhatWomenWant spearheaded by the Athena Network, and worked with others to amplify women’s voices and priorities in achieving gender equality within and outside of the HIV movement as she believes that it is important to bridge the gaps with other sectors.

In 2015, she worked alongside colleagues from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance as a young consultant to conduct the Mid Term Review of the Link Up project in Uganda. This was a 3-year initiative that aimed at advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young key populations in 5 countries, including Uganda. She is a YALI alumni, Zimba women mentor, AVAC advocate and she is currently pursuing her diploma in Public Administration and Management.

Vuyokazi "Vovo" Gonyela

         South Africa

Vuyokazi Gonyela (affectionately known as Vovo) currently serves as Treatment Action Campaign’s Deputy General Secretary and National Strategic Plan Advocacy Officer at SECTION27 in South Africa. She works to monitor implementation and access to HIV, Tuberculosis and STI response services which includes treatment accessibility and develops activism and advocacy programs and campaigns.

Vovo is also leading a coordinating role at SECTION27 of HIV/Tuberculosis (TB) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programs. She spends most of her time doing advocacy and activism work that encourages young people to become advocates on health and human rights related and constitutional issues.

Gavyko Sumter

         United States of America

Gavyko Sumter is a 25-year-old artist and social advocate from Columbia, SC. Born the youngest of eight, Gavyko was raised in the heart of the Bible Belt in the Apostolic Church: growing a love and thirst for spirituality that fuels their passion and drive—even today.

Gavyko attended the University of South Carolina as a Computer Science and Applied Mathematics double major, where they partnered with organizations like the Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services [PALSS] and South Carolina’s Continuum of Care [CoC] conducting sexual health research and training groups on college campuses throughout the state of South Carolina.

After learning of their HIV diagnosis in 2014, they developed and directed a Concept Show with their brothers from the Iota Mu chapter of Alpha Phi Omega to help bring awareness to sexual assault and trauma in the Midlands before moving to New York City in 2016—homeless. Since moving to Queens, NY, Gavyko has worked with various advocacy and organizing groups/efforts in the city: such as the Ali Forney Center, VOCAL-NY and Queerocracy, RHY Raise the Age campaign, the Center for Anti-Violence Education and Theatre of the Oppressed to name a few—working to better serve and empower runaway and homeless youth, both city and statewide.

Becky Kroger

         South Africa / United Kingdom

Becky was born in South Africa and moved to England in 2009.

She has been campaigning with Youth Stop AIDS since 2017 and has been volunteering in the HIV sector since she was a child. She talks about her experience to raise awareness and to tackle the UK government to re-prioritize HIV.