Overview

The People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA) Africa is part of a global movement of organisations and networks supported by Nobel Laureates, Heads of State, health experts, economists, world leaders, faith leaders and activists working together to ensure Africans everywhere have equitable access to vaccines.

Our strategy

Housed in the African Alliance, PVA Africa’s role is to ensure that the voices, priorities and work of African activists and communities, in all of our diversity, are meaningfully reflected in global healthcare. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to ensure that interventions, strategies, and approaches to the access of COVID-19 vaccines for Africans continue to be addressed on our African terms. We do this by ensuring that the work of indigenous organisations in all five regions of the continent is amplified, and supported and shapes our collective advocacy for a truly decolonised response, for this pandemic and the next.

Our primary focus areas are health systems strengthening, ensuring equity in access to COVID-19 tools for communities in the global South, strengthening engagement with relevant stakeholders and accelerating an approach for a decolonised approach response.

The PVA Africa Family

Governance and Leadership 

We achieve our objectives through the guidance of the Steering Committee, which comprises leaders of five regional networks and never loses sight of our collective desire for the decolonisation of public health and rights-based access to products and science that saves lives, keep us healthy and accelerate our right to dignity as Africans. The Committee includes:

Rouzeh Eghtessadi

Organisation: SAfAIDS

Country: Zimbabwe

Region: Southern Africa

Rouzeh Eghtessadi is a public health specialist, Human Rights champion, thought leader and the Executive Director of Southern Africa AIDS Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS). With her leadership, SAfAIDS works to advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) through promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion and Resilience building. You can read more about SAfAIDS here: https://safaids.net/about-us/

Onesmus Kalama

Name: Onesmus Kalama

Organisation: EANNASO

Country: Tanzania

Onesmus Kalama is a trained public health specialist and the Interim Executive Director for the East Africa National Networks of AIDS and Health Service Organisations (EANNASO) and coordinating the Global Fund Anglophone CRG Regional Communication and Coordination Platform. A sitting member of the EAC Health Technical Working Group and a co-chair of the EAC SRHR Regional Steering Committee. You can read more about EANNASO here: https://eannaso.org/

Florita Durueke

Organisation: NHVMAS

Country: Nigeria

Region: West Africa

Florita Durueke is the Executive Director of the New HIV Vaccine And Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS) and a Professional Nurse. She has been working in HIV/AIDS for over ten years. She coordinates the administrative and programmatic activities of the organisation. She has a passion for women’s and children’s issues. Her vision is to see a society with the rights of women and children promoted and supported. You can read more about NHVMAS here: https://nhvmas-ng.org/site/

Sandrine Lusamba

Organisation: SOFEPADI

Country: Democratic Republic of Congo

Region: Central Africa

Sandrine Lusamba is the Vice-chair of the steering committee of PVA Africa and an activist committed to promoting women’s rights and the fight against all forms of violence against women and girls. She is the Executive Director of Solidarité Féminine Pour La Paix et le Développement Intégral (SOFEPADI), a Congolese organisation that fights against sexual and gender-based violence by raising awareness within communities, providing holistic care to victims, including access to sexual and reproductive health; and supporting women in their participation in conflict-resolution processes. She is part of the Movement of Young Women Leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and firmly believes that women and girls must participate equally and effectively in all political, economic and social sectors. You can read more about SOFEPADI here: https://www.sofepadirdc.org/

Tian Johnson

Organisation: African Alliance

Country: South Africa

Region: Southern Africa

Tian Johnson is the Chair of the Steering Committee of PVA Africa and the founder and Lead Strategist of the African Alliance, a global non-profit working on various health rights issues. Tian takes an intersectional approach to social justice. Their work spans advocacy for the rights of marginalised communities, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, white supremacy culture and decolonisation of the development sector. At the African Alliance, Tian leads the organisation to develop consistent programmes and advocate for accountability to communities by enabling them to participate in public health research programmes and the rollout of locally appropriate services. You can read more about the African Alliance here: https://africanalliance.org.za/home/

Secretariat

Country Partners

Donor Partners