Nwuba Chioma Onyinye - Nigeria

“I work to help strengthen health systems, especially at the community level, in the area of laboratory services. I have always wanted to attend this conference because it represents an opportunity for me to showcase the work we do. We noticed that a lot of HIV-positive pregnant women live in communities with difficult terrain, which often prevented them from coming back for testing after their first clinic visit. So what we do is to try to harmonize a way in which we can provide their laboratory results during their first visit. Without funding from OFID I wouldn’t have been able to come to the conference, and I cannot thank OFID enough for giving me this opportunity.”

Mbaihoroum Nahari - Chad

“I’d like to thank OFID for sponsoring me to participate in this conference, which is of great importance to me. I will take with me a lot of experience from attending the various sessions and will share it with the young people within my community in Chad. This conference has given me a lot of courage to fight even more, and more tools to combating HIV AIDS.”

Sunday Otse -  Nigeria

“I want to thank all of those working at OFID who are working to help those in rural areas. I belong to an HIV positive rural network which has been working on implementing a program that will enable us to access information so we can improve our lives. OFID was able to provide me with the means of helping me further our community outreach program."

Makani Vimbainasve - Zimbabwe

“I was really happy to get OFID’s sponsorship because I was not sure if I was going to be able to come to AIDS 2012 as I didn’t know where to get funding. I work for a program which focuses on treatment for prevention, which is the message I hope to take back to my community in order to achieve the 2015 goal of HIV/AIDS elimination. I plan to advocate for HIV testing and to encourage infant testing, as well as couple participation in our program.”

Lady C. Lisondra - Philippines

“It is a very good opportunity for me, which I feel very thankful for, because not a lot of young people have access to this conference and are able to participate. It is an opportunity for us to learn, there is so much information, especially in the abstract sessions. I hope to take back with me the knowledge and the things I have learned at the sessions and workshops.”

Nelson Massawe - Tanzania

“When I knew I was sponsored I was so proud, because I didn’t know how I could attend the conference and truly felt special. After the sponsorship, I looked into who was sponsoring me, and learned that OFID does many projects globally, which is marvelous. When I heard the mayor of Washington DC state that since 2009 no child had been born with HIV, I was touched as it signifies the importance of mother - child prevention. I also have made a lot of contacts and connections by being here. I am a youth ambassador and work with an NGO which empowers youth in different sectors so they can gain skills and receive counseling."

Martin-Mary Falana- Nigeria

“Coming to this conference has been wonderful because it has provided a platform for me to learn of best practices from others all over the world. I have also been able to share experiences of what I do in my own organization, and what I have done that has worked. I am the Executive Director and initiator of Kids and Teens Resource Center which is an NGO established to support and advance government efforts and other stakeholders to ensure that we have a better future. We do this through empowerment, mobilization, capacity building, and mentorship. We also offer services for troubled children including AIDS care, education, nutritional support, shelter and many other things for children who are vulnerable within their community. I was very surprised to receive the sponsorship and would like to extend a big thank you to OFID.”

Gerard  D. Ompad - Philippines

“I want to thank OFID for sponsoring my attendance to the conference. I have been able to meet many people throughout the sessions. It is especially important for me as a young investigator and quite new to the science of HIV, although I have been working within the community for several years and have been shifting focus to science,  The conference has really helped me network with other young researchers and share knowledge in terms of basic science.  I was also  able to hear new ideas from senior scientists and from senior community health workers. I hope to echo what I have  learned here when I return home and I thank OFID for this opportunity.”