2025 World Hepatitis Alliance AFRO Regional Board Member Elections

Chester Chimanda – Zambia

AFRO regional board member candidate

Executive Director, Youth Movement for HIV/TB/SRHR Advocacy in Zambia (YMHAZ)

Chester Chimanda’s biography

Chester Chimanda is a Zambian youth leader and health advocate living with HIV and with lived experience of hepatitis C. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Youth Movement for HIV/TB/SRHR Advocacy in Zambia (YMHAZ), where he leads community-driven health programs for adolescents and young people. With over six years of experience in HIV and SRHR advocacy, Chester is also a member of the PEPFAR Youth Advisory Council, a micro planning trainer under UNAIDS, and a fellow at Generation Mental Health. His lived experience as a young person made vulnerable by both HIV and hepatitis drives his mission to amplify youth voices, reduce stigma, and expand access to inclusive health services.

Chester Chimanda’s personal statement

I am honored to submit my nomination for the WHA Regional Board Member for the AFRO region, grounded in my lived experience as a young person living with HIV and with lived experience of hepatitis C. I was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2017 during a routine health screening and continue to live with HIV today. These experiences opened my eyes to the gaps in access to information, care, and dignity that many young people face and they continue to drive my passion for patient-led advocacy, stigma reduction, and equitable access to health services.

Today, I serve as Executive Director of the Youth Movement for HIV/TB/SRHR Advocacy in Zambia (YMHAZ), a youth-led network organization that uses community-driven strategies to improve access to health services for adolescents and young people. Through this work, I lead programs that deliver SRHR education, HIV/TB services, youth mental health support, and hepatitis advocacy and screening to underserved communities. We use peer-led models to promote youth-friendly services and engage young people in health governance and policy processes.

Currently, I am serving as a fellow under the Generation Mental Health Fellowship, where I’ll launch the 1by10 Mental Health Initiative. This project works through YMHAZ to train one peer mental health representative for every ten university students, creating a network of trusted youth leaders who provide support, promote awareness, and connect students to mental health services. This work will help me understand the deep linkages between mental health, chronic illness, and stigma, particularly for young people living with conditions like HIV and hepatitis.

As a member of the PEPFAR Zambia Youth Advisory Council, I advocate for policies that support the health and rights of young people living with HIV and hepatitis. I have participated in national consultations, provided mentorship to youth-led organizations, and represented youth voices in high level spaces. I have also volunteered with UNAIDS Zambia’s Micro Planning Program, where I train key population peers to identify service delivery gaps and promote inclusive, community-led solutions.

In my previous role as Youth Country Lead under the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+), I coordinated the implementation of national youth advocacy projects such as the Make Way Program and the UNESCO LSHE initiative. These projects focused on increasing access to health services for young people and improving their participation in decision-making. I have also led campaigns to reduce stigma and promote treatment literacy, working with adolescents, young women, and marginalized groups in both urban and rural settings.

I meet all the essential criteria required for this role:

• I have lived experience of viral hepatitis and am currently living with HIV, giving me a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by those affected.
• I am fluent in English and regularly participate in national and international forums where I communicate policy and advocacy positions.
• I have experience working at the national, regional, and grassroots levels with a wide range of stakeholders, including ministries of health, development partners, and peer-led organizations.
• I bring governance experience from serving in leadership and advisory roles, and I am comfortable contributing to strategic planning, board discussions and oversight processes.

If elected, I will be committed to ensuring that the voices of young people and those living with or affected by viral hepatitis are fully represented in WHA’s work. I will work to:

• Elevate the needs and perspectives of youth living with hepatitis and HIV;
• Strengthen collaboration between youth-led and patient-led groups in Africa;
• Promote youth engagement in hepatitis elimination strategies;
• Reduce stigma through mental health integration, storytelling, and peer-driven advocacy;
• Support regional member groups in building capacity for national advocacy and accountability.

My work is driven by the belief that those who live it must lead it and I am ready to bring this spirit of authenticity, dedication, and strategic leadership to the WHA Regional Board. I thank you for considering my application and look forward to continuing this vital work in solidarity with other patient leaders across Africa and the world.

Shaibu Issa – Tanzania

AFRO regional board member candidate

Founder and Executive Director, Tanzania Health Alliance (THA)

Shaibu Issa’s biography

I am a passionate hepatitis B advocate from Tanzania, living with the virus and driven by personal loss after my brother died of liver cancer. This experience fuels my commitment to ensuring no one suffers in silence or dies needlessly. I lead Tanzania Health Alliance, championing awareness, testing, and care. I also serve globally with AASLD and the International Liver Cancer Movement. I aim to bring grassroots experience, lived reality, and a strong Pan-African voice to the board, pushing for equitable hepatitis policies, funding, and community engagement across the continent.

Shaibu Issa’s personal statement

My name is Shaibu Issa, a hepatitis B advocate from Tanzania, living with the virus and committed to creating change. I was first diagnosed in high school—a moment that came with shock, fear, and deep stigma. Years later, I lost my beloved brother to liver cancer caused by hepatitis B. That loss became my turning point. I made a promise to myself and to his memory: to fight for awareness, access, and justice for people living with viral hepatitis, so that no one else has to suffer in silence or die without care.

I currently serve as the Executive Director of Tanzania Health Alliance (THA), a non-governmental organization I founded to address the gaps in awareness, screening, and early detection of viral hepatitis, HIV, and liver cancer. In addition to this, I hold a leadership position with the Organization for Medical Outreach to Community in Tanzania (OMOC-Tanzania), where we engage health professionals and young advocates to extend education and screening services into underserved communities.

My work is built on grassroots engagement, health system collaboration, and global advocacy. I am a Global Community Advisory Board Member at the Hepatitis B Foundation, representing voices from Africa and working closely with advocates, researchers, and policymakers to ensure the needs of affected communities are prioritized. I also serve on the Steering Committee of the International Liver Cancer Movement (ILCM) and am a Patient Advocate on the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Patient Advisory Group, where I contribute to research, awareness campaigns, and patient-centered initiatives.

In Tanzania, I lead national campaigns focusing on hepatitis B and C testing, vaccination, and linkage to care. I’ve trained hundreds of youth, health workers, and community leaders to raise awareness and reduce stigma. Through digital platforms, I’ve reached over one million people with educational videos and messages that simplify complex medical facts into relatable content. One of my proudest moments was partnering with the World Health Organization to produce the short film “One Man’s Dream for Hepatitis Elimination in Tanzania”, which documented my journey and efforts in making hepatitis a public health priority.

While these milestones are meaningful, I remain grounded in the reality that Africa still bears a significant burden of viral hepatitis. Many people are unaware of their status, and those diagnosed often face barriers to care, including stigma, high treatment costs, and weak health infrastructure. The elimination of hepatitis in Africa requires more than just policies—it demands committed advocates, strategic partnerships, and the leadership of those with lived experience.

As an African Board Member of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), I would bring firsthand experience and a deep understanding of our region’s challenges. I aim to:

• Elevate the voices of people affected by hepatitis in Africa and ensure their needs shape global and regional strategies.
• Promote capacity-building for community-led organizations to drive change at the grassroots level.
• Advocate for improved access to diagnostics, treatment, and hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination.
• Mobilize youth and survivors as powerful agents of change across the continent.
• Collaborate with governments, health systems, and WHA members to align efforts with the WHO 2030 elimination goals

With strong communication skills, a deep network in the African advocacy space, and a commitment to inclusivity and evidence-based action, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution to WHA’s board and the African hepatitis community. My experience leading both community-based and national programs gives me the insight and determination to connect policy with practice.

My vision is bold: An Africa where no one dies from viral hepatitis, where every mother is screened, every child vaccinated, and every person living with hepatitis knows their status and receives care without stigma.

It would be an honor to bring my passion, experience, and leadership to the World Hepatitis Alliance Board. I am ready to serve, to listen, and to act because I know from personal experience that this fight is not just about numbers. It’s about lives, stories, and the power of community to drive lasting change.