From a young age, Myles John Mwansa yearned to be at the forefront of a movement that strives to transform the lives of young people in his country of birth, Zambia. His current role as the Executive Director of Zambia Network of Young People Living with HIV (ZNYP+) is a culmination of many years of pursuing that ambition. Myles is vastly experienced in SRHR/HIV prevention strategies for young people, which has afforded him opportunities to confront HIV/AIDS-related issues on a national level in Zambia.
As he joins the NGO Delegation to represent Africa, his aim is to reach a global audience of fellow change drivers in HIV/AIDS-related matters. One of ZNYP+’s main goals is to significantly participate in the global objective to end HIV/AIDS by 2030. Myles plans to use his platform as an NGO Delegate to join and contribute to the global discourse around new HIV/AIDS interventions, as well as the reviewing of current and previous ones. This will ensure that ZNYP+’s efforts are aligned with those of the global civil society. Additionally, he also looks forward to possibly collaborating with fellow NGO Delegates to achieve mutual goals on a global scale.
Myles believes that being a member of the NGO Delegation will give him a clearer understanding of the UNAIDS strategies for developing countries such as Zambia and the implementation thereof. According to Myles, the yearns and the cries of the civil society in developing countries are often overlooked or not heard at all, due to a host of socio-economical constraints. For that reason, he aims to use his role as a voice for many African individuals and organizations whose efforts fall short due to invisibility.
For the past eight years, Myles and his team at ZNYP+ have been hard at work, providing support to HIV positive and affected youth in Zambia. Their end-goal is to improve the quality of life for young people living with HIV as well as those who are affected. They create safe spaces for young people living with HIV/AIDS, ensure that their voices are considered in law/policy making, and they see to it that these young people have access to treatment, service delivery and other essential resources.
Myles is adamant that because of this experience, he can offer valuable and accurate insights about the challenges that affect young people living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia to the NGO Delegation. In turn, this will better inform the development of new strategies that are aimed at the African continent. It will also influence the revision and restructuring of previous strategies that are perhaps not yielding the desired result.