Priscilla Ama Addo was one of the first youth living with HIV in Ghana to publicly share her status and story to inspire other youth. She now wants young people everywhere to be heard: “My goal, or my aim, is to ensure that young people across countries have that opportunity to be able to contribute meaningfully at their various national policy programs that affect young people, especially SRHR [Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights], HIV, human rights and health as a whole.”
As a young person living with HIV herself, Priscilla faces many challenges. “I have come across numerous instances where stigma, discrimination, anti-rights movement has pushed back against my work and as a youth advocate.”
Her work has also been deeply impacted by foreign aid cuts by an increasing number of high-income countries. Former champions of global health and development are walking away. Many countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom and France have slashed their international assistance budgets. Devastatingly, the United States has dismantled USAID, the largest contributor to global health programs.
As well, Priscilla worries about shifting priorities that erase gender considerations, marginalize key populations, and exclude vulnerable communities from global health discussions and policies, particularly around HIV and SRHR.
Despite these obstacles, she believes “that we must not lose sight of what is important, that is youth at the centre, always and forever.”
Now more than ever, she asserts, “it is essential to collaborate, unite, and innovate—because real progress can only be made when we move forward together.”
Priscilla is a true youth health champion and she inspires our work.
Priscilla is an incredibly active advocate. She is passionate about youth advocacy in Ghana, in Africa, and around the world.
Priscilla works at Y+ Global: Global Network of Young People Living with HIV as a Junior Programs Officer. Her main focus is the meaningful and ethical engagement of young people across Africa and the world in SRHR and HIV.
Priscilla is a member of the Communities Delegation to the Global Fund Board and part of The Global Fund Advocates Network, making sure that the voices of young people are heard in the spaces that matter to them. (Help us advocate for Canada to support the Global Fund today).
