From Showing Up to Shaping Change: What Being a GFAN Speaker Taught Me

Being elected as an Alternate Board Member for the Global Fund Communities Delegation is both an honour and a reflection of a journey shaped by persistence, purpose, and community. When I look back on my advocacy journey, some of the most defining moments came from spaces where the GFAN gave me the opportunity not only to participate, but to represent, challenge, and lead.

For many young advocates, especially young people living with HIV, access to global health spaces is often limited by assumptions. Expertise is still narrowly defined, and lived experience is not always valued.

I have experienced this firsthand. There were moments where I had to continuously prove that my voice belonged in these conversations. Structural barriers such as limited funding for youth-led organizations, lack of mentorship opportunities, and gatekeeping within global health systems often make it difficult for young advocates to fully engage. And for many others, especially young people in rural communities, young key populations, and those without access to global networks, the barriers are even greater. Language divides, digital inequities, and rigid systems continue to shape who gets heard and who remains invisible.

But I learned that consistently showing up matters.

Over time, speaking from my lived experience became one of my greatest strengths. I built alliances, documented my work, and stopped waiting for permission to lead.

One of the most transformative moments in my journey came through my engagement with GFAN as a speaker. Through the network, I had opportunities to contribute to Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism processes, shape constituency statements, and engage directly in conversations around accountability and resource mobilization. Speaking at the World Health Summit during Germany’s pledge moment for the Global Fund replenishment was especially significant for me. For me, it placed community voices in spaces where high-level political and financing decisions were being made.

That experience also expanded my network in ways I did not anticipate. I connected with advocates, partners, and decision-makers who are helping shape the future of global health financing. Those relationships opened doors to deeper involvement in Global Fund processes, bilateral discussions, and broader advocacy opportunities.

In this context it is really exciting to see that through the new GFAN 2026–2030 Strategy, we have committed to intentionally integrating youth and emerging leaders through stronger representation. This matters because meaningful participation cannot rely on individual persistence alone; systems and structures must actively create pathways for young people to lead. Kudos to GFAN for taking that step! And I know we can always rely on GFAN to do so.

What global health systems need now is a shift from symbolic inclusion to structural inclusion. Young people need to be embedded within decision-making spaces, shaping priorities from design to implementation.

Meaningful inclusion also needs resourcing youth-led organizations directly. It means creating safe environments where young people living with HIV can participate without stigma or fear. It means simplifying systems, addressing language barriers, and investing in long-term capacity strengthening instead of one-off engagements.

I believe organizations like GFAN and its partners have an important role to play in driving this shift. They have played that role in my life. And now, with the new GFAN Speakers Bureau cohort (call for applications are open!) I hope other young advocates like me can also get the same opportunities, and more!

For me, being a GFAN speaker was about learning that my voice could help shape systems, influence conversations, and create pathways for others to enter these spaces too. And that is what meaningful advocacy should do: open doors, shift power, and remind communities that their experiences matter.