Ruth Akulu is a young woman born and openly living with HIV. She draws her motivation to advocate for HIV prevention from her mother’s experience who acquired HIV at the age of 16 years from her father, who later passed on due to AIDS. She’s an economist by profession, and she applies skills learnt from her profession to contribute to HIV prevention and research efforts locally and internationally. She’s been involved in shaping country funding priorities influenced by the communities of people living with and affected by HIV especially adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) by engaging in PEPFAR COP and Global Fund writing processes. She currently represents youth on the Uganda Country Coordinating Mechanism for Global Fund, a partnership between Government, Civil Society and Development Partners that oversees implementation of the HIV,
Tuberculosis and malaria programs in Uganda and also a member of the Young Women’s HIV Prevention Council, which is responsible for shaping HIV prevention and research agenda for AGYW. She also works with different working groups to strengthen leadership and governance, and discover long term sustainable financial solutions in HIV response in Africa including the African HIV Control Working Group, and the Country HIV Sustainability roadmap working group.
Conclusively, she engages with researchers, policy makers and donors to ensure HIV research and development, product regulation and introduction, and program designs meet the needs of the community of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV.