When Rio Came Together to Co-Create: Youth, Health, and Research at AIDS 2026 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

by Emily Hickner | Sep 2, 2026 | Engagement Core, Youth Advisory Board

Written by Nomujuni Neale Natukwatsa, INSPIRE Youth Advisory Board Co-Chair

What happens when young people, researchers, health practitioners and community stakeholders from different countries, institutions and lived experiences come together in one room not simply to talk about young people, but to co-create with them?

That was the spirit of the Youth Co-creation for Health Workshop held at the Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca at Fiocruz Manguinhos ahead of AIDS 2026.

The workshop brought together participants representing a diverse range of organisations and institutions, including CEDAPS, Baylor-Botswana, University of Washington, Wake Forest University, Rio Youth Force, Decola Cria/GOYN Rio de Janeiro, Fiocruz, RNAJVHA, ACS, SZNDIR, UNICEF, INT EVOLUX and UNC, among others. The diversity extended beyond institutional affiliations. With at least 70% of participants speaking Portuguese, the workshop created a valuable bridge between the local youth community in Rio and the international AIDS 2026 community.

This diversity was important. It meant that conversations about youth participation were not happening from a single perspective. Young people, researchers, community organisations, academic institutions and global health partners brought different experiences and ways of understanding the challenges facing young people in health.

Group photo during the Rio Youth Co-creation Workshop.

From participation to partnership

The workshop was built around the Youth Co-creation for Health: Practical Guide, developed by SESH in partnership with UNICEF and TDR. The guide approaches youth co-creation as an iterative process in which young people and researchers work together while deliberately recognising and addressing power imbalances.

The afternoon began with introductions to the practical guide, reflections celebrating Rio’s youth, an exploration of Fiocruz’s role in the local youth community, and a discussion on inclusion. The discussion included the question of what it takes to ensure that young people dealing with systematic stigma are not left behind. And a panel brought together perspectives from WHO, CEDAPS, Decola Cria, RNAJVHA, and Fiocruz, creating space for dialogue between local and international experiences.

But the heart of the workshop was the co-creation activity.

Participants worked in small groups of six to eight, bringing young people and adults together to explore two practical questions. The first question asked how we might imagine a future where young people facing systemic stigma — including those living with HIV, disabilities, and other conditions — are not discriminated against or excluded from work. The second question challenged participants to think creatively about how the Youth Co-creation Practical Guide could be disseminated in different settings with young people taking the lead.

Participants were encouraged to pay attention to power imbalances, create space for young people’s contributions, generate ideas together, and identify their strongest proposals before sharing them with the wider group. This was co-creation in practice. Not a presentation about youth participation, but a room where people had to listen, negotiate, create, and make decisions together.

When the conversation continued beyond Fiocruz

One of the most memorable aspects of the workshop was that the conversation did not end when the formal programme ended. Later that evening, participants gathered for dinner, creating an informal space to continue exchanging experiences, challenge ideas, build friendships, and explore opportunities for future collaboration. For a workshop centered on relationships and shared power, this informal continuation mattered. It allowed people to connect beyond their institutional roles and discover the experiences and motivations behind the work.

The group enjoying a post-workshop dinner.

Why this matters for INSPIRE

The Rio workshop demonstrated an important principle; meaningful youth engagement is not about simply creating opportunities for young people to participate. It is about creating processes where young people can influence the questions, contribute their knowledge and lived experiences, shape solutions, and help determine what success looks like.

It also demonstrated the value of bringing different communities together. Local youth organisations and community networks. Researchers and universities. Global health institutions and international partners. Young people and adults. Different perspectives, brought into the same space, can challenge assumptions and create possibilities that may not emerge when people work in isolation.

This workshop offered a practical example of what youth co-creation can look like when diversity is treated as an asset rather than a complication.

The lesson from Rio is simple. Young people should not simply be invited to the table. They should help shape what is on it.

And the co-creation continues.

Breaking Language Barriers: A Bilingual Approach to HIV Information

by Emily Hickner | Aug 17, 2026 | INSPIRE Designathon, Learning Core

Written by Emily Hickner-Mantia, Operations Manager for INSPIRE

In Spring 2025, the Youth Against HIV was one of ten teams selected out of hundreds to bring their vision to life through the INSPIRE Designathon. We appreciated their thoughtful approach to tackling widespread misconceptions about HIV and limited access to prevention, testing and treatment services in Nigeria’s Katsina State. They recognized three major obstacles — cultural norms, language barriers and stigma — and had an insightful approach to addressing them through peer education, culturally relevant materials, and community partnerships. This approach includes the development of educational materials in both English and Hausa, the primary language of Katsina State.

The result of the team’s hard work over the past year is the HIV Handbook for Everyone: Understanding, Preventing, and Living with HIV, a colorful and eye-catching handbook written in clear, simple language and available in both English and Hausa. It is an uncomplicated guide to what young people need to know: what HIV is, how to protect themselves, where to get tested, and how those living with HIV can thrive.

We asked Youth Against HIV about their process, how they plan to distribute the handbooks, and what’s next for the publication. Read on to learn what they had to say.

Youth Against HIV consists of Favour Christiana Ogbuagu, Abubakar Ismail Muhammad, Makiyyah Sulaiman Muhammad, and Abdulmalik Ya’u.

HIV Handbook for Everyone: Understanding, Preventing, and Living with HIV available in English and in Hausa.

Click on a cover image to view and download the handbook.

Tell us what inspired you to create the HIV Handbook for Everyone. What is the importance of releasing it in both English and Hausa?

Nigeria continues to carry one of the highest HIV burdens globally, and this burden is compounded by persistently low health literacy across many communities. In practice, this means a significant portion of the population, often those already most socially and economically vulnerable, has limited or no access to accurate, evidence based information about HIV. Working closely within these communities made this gap difficult to ignore.

It became clear to us that health information, when made accessible and culturally grounded, can function as a genuine public health intervention in its own right.

This understanding was the foundation for developing a toolkit specifically designed to reach populations that conventional health communication has historically underserved.

How did you decide what you would include in the handbook? How did you ensure that the handbook included evidence-based information on HIV while being culturally appropriate?

Our starting point was foundational knowledge, an accurate, accessible explanation of what HIV is, how it is transmitted, and how transmission can be prevented. We approached this deliberately, as a strong grasp of the fundamentals remains the most reliable determinant of protective behavior; a reader who leaves with a clear, correct understanding of transmission and prevention has already gained something of real public health value. Building on this foundation, we incorporated emerging evidence on Lenacapavir based PrEP (LEN-PrEP), reflecting our commitment to keeping the handbook aligned with current advances in HIV prevention science rather than static or outdated guidance. Throughout the development process, we were equally attentive to how this information was communicated.

Content was reviewed and framed to reflect the language, lived experience, and cultural context of the communities we serve, so that the material reads as credible and relevant rather than clinical or externally imposed.

Who are you working with to disseminate this handbook? Are there community groups, medical facilities or peer navigators involved?

Dissemination has been a collaborative undertaking. We work with medical students trained as peer navigators across Kano State, who serve as trusted, community embedded intermediaries capable of contextualizing the material and addressing questions directly. This is complemented by partnerships with medical facilities, which allow the handbook to function not merely as a standalone resource but as a bridge into the formal health system, connecting readers to testing, counseling, and treatment services when needed.

What are the gaps in HIV education, prevention and treatment that you hope to help tackle with this handbook?

A central challenge in HIV response remains the persistence of misinformation and stigma, which often present a greater barrier to care seeking than the disease itself. Through this handbook, we aim to address prevailing myths, strengthen public understanding of transmission and prevention, and provide clear guidance on when and where to seek clinical care. Our broader objective is to narrow the distance between public perception of HIV and the current scientific understanding of it.

Do you have plans to measure the impact of disseminating this handbook? Any plans to expand the project to other languages or provide updated guides in the future as new HIV prevention and treatment technologies become available?

Yes. This handbook is conceived as part of a sustained, iterative initiative under Youth Against HIV rather than a single output. We intend to evaluate its reach and effectiveness over time, and, contingent on further funding, to extend it into additional Nigerian languages, a meaningful undertaking given the country’s linguistic diversity, with well over 500 languages spoken nationally. We are equally committed to revising the handbook’s content as new prevention and treatment technologies emerge, ensuring it remains a living, evidence based resource rather than a fixed document.

Access the handbook in English >>

Access the handbook in Hausa >>

Finding the Perfect Match: How Speed Dating Sparked Cross-PATC3H-IN Collaborations

by Emily Hickner | Jul 21, 2026 | Engagement Core, Learning Core, Methods Core

Written by Emily Hickner-Mantia, Operations Manager for INSPIRE

Speed dating for singles may have gone out of style with the rise of dating apps but INSPIRE still sees its value as a matchmaking process for research collaborations. As the implementation science coordinating center for PATC³H-IN, INSPIRE seeks to build synergy through cultivating and supporting collaboration across the network. To leverage shared knowledge and adapt evidence-based practices across new settings, we facilitated a “speed dating” activity for PATC³H-IN clinical research centers at the PATC³H-IN Annual Meeting in Lagos, Nigeria (held 5-7 May 2006).

Members from the eight clinical research centers were paired for three 20-minute rounds of “speed dates.” Instead of discussing hobbies or life goals, these speed daters shared innovative ideas for research collaboration. The ultimate goal was for CRCs to team up — with both early career researchers and more senior researchers represented — to develop new pilot research ideas. The following day, teams pitched their ideas for collaboration in front of the meeting attendees and a panel of judges. Each team had three minutes to present fresh, creative solutions that foster collaboration.

We concluded the annual meeting by announcing the Judge’s Choice and Audience’s Choice awards. As the football (or soccer for the Americans) anthem “Stand Up (For the Champions)” played, the audience erupted in celebration when Synergizing PrEP Delivery took home Judge’s Choice and BriDD won Audience’s Choice. Both winning teams received pilot funding to launch their projects over the next year, while the five remaining partnerships were awarded smaller seed grants to explore their concepts.

Attendees dance to “Stand Up (For the Champions)” as the winners are announced.

Since the PATC³H-IN Annual Meeting, teams have participated in INSPIRE’s Project Development Bootcamp to hone their research designs, develop community needs assessments, and prepare IRB submissions. Teams will continue to receive coaching and training over the course of the next year as they work to pilot their project ideas.

Read on to learn about each cross-PATC³H-IN team’s pitch.

About the Pitches

Please note that these are the ideas that were pitched at the annual meeting. Projects will be refined and adapted for cost and feasibility.

Synergizing PrEP Delivery | Judge’s Choice

Monica Getahun, Mackfallen Anasel , Asiphas Owaraganise

This strategic cross- CRC collaboration between MWOTAJI and MU-JHU synergizes HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery models across East Africa. The initiative addresses key landscape divergence: while MWOTAJI excels in private-sector, pharmacy-based PrEP delivery models in Tanzania, MU-JHU has encountered reluctance toward pharmacy delivery from Uganda’s Ministry of Health and local stakeholders. Conversely, MU-JHU brings established expertise in community-based models and Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) PrEP. To bridge these gaps, the collaboration leverages MWOTAJI’s data to launch a proof-of-concept pilot in 2–3 Ugandan pharmacies, while MU-JHU facilitates learning workshops to prepare Tanzania for its national LAI-PrEP rollout scheduled for January 2027.

The overarching goal of this cross-pollination is to eliminate research silos, strengthen consortium unity, and provide evidence-based advocacy to inform national health strategies in both countries.

Team Synergizing PrEP Delivery poses after their pitch.

BriDD | Audience’s Choice

Benjamin Kule, Eric Aniekan, George Goji, Rodgers Katwesigye

Benjamin Kule presenting the pitch for Team BriDD.

Bridging Design and Delivery (BriDD) is a real-time, youth-centered HIV knowledge exchange initiative developed through a collaboration between iCARE Plus and MU-JHU. While peer navigation is a core component across HIV interventions, execution varies widely across clinical research centers without a shared framework for recruitment, outreach, trust-building, or retention. By combining MU-JHU’s expertise in implementation science with iCARE Plus’s scalable mHealth and peer-navigation systems, the project aims to establish a cross-CRC learning collaboration to standardize and scale effective peer navigation for diverse adolescent and young adult populations.

Through meetings across various communication platforms involving peer navigators, healthcare workers, and community leaders, the team will implement Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles to evaluate and refine practices. Ultimately, the project expects to produce a practical Peer Navigation Best Practices Toolkit for broader use.

RISE-UP

Abdulhammed Babatunde, Kelechi Chima, Abayomi Aka, Samuel Orok

RISE-UP is a collaborative project in Nigeria between S-ITEST and RISE aimed at bridging the gap between community-based and digital HIV prevention tools for adolescents and young adults (AYA). While S-ITEST brings a community-rooted model spanning 18 Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and RISE offers digital mHealth expertise, RISE-UP combines both to create a digitally amplified, community-embedded model. The initiative seeks to adapt the RISE mobile app using co-design methods to include general and authorization-gated key population forums, non-health engaging content (such as skills and entertainment), and integrated mental health support into S-ITEST’s existing “nurturer-led” CBO structure.

The project will deploy the adapted app across six CBO sites in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. Trained CBO nurturers will act as digital navigators, providing tablet access during group sessions for youth without personal smartphones. Using a 12-week pilot, the study will measure primary outcomes including app feature engagement, HIV self-testing uptake, PrEP referrals, and mental health service utilization while evaluating community drivers and barriers to sustained digital engagement.

Team ZamTest

Aishat Adedoyin Koledowo, Godswill Nwoha, Lateef Akeem Blessing, Gift Adelaja, Stella Chiyonga

Team ZamTest’s proposes to integrate mental health services into existing HIV/STI care through a collaborative mother-daughter dyadic model between S-ITEST (Nigeria) and ZAIMARA (Zambia). The initiative combines S-ITEST’s extensive network of community-based organizations and peer support infrastructure across Nigeria with ZAIMARA’s proven intergenerational dyad framework and mental health-embedded curriculum. By combining these strengths, the teams seek to test a novel, two-country approach that delivers mental health screening, brief counseling, and referrals alongside HIV/STI information and PrEP discussions.

The project timeline spans initial protocol development and tool adaptation, pilot implementation, and data analysis with reporting. Key primary endpoints focus on measuring the feasibility, acceptability, screening coverage, service linkage, and mental health symptom reduction within each dyad delivery channel, alongside evaluating HIV/STI testing and PrEP uptake among adolescent girls and young women.

The Influencers

Anele Zulu, Raine Renatus, Jackie Colonery, Yolanda Mayman, Charné Petinger

The Influencers is a collaborative, youth-led activations campaign between the ATTUNE and MWOTAJI CRCs to transform youth culture into an interactive HIV engagement platform. Aimed at young people aged 15 to 24, the initiative combines peer navigation, music culture, and digital storytelling to boost HIV awareness, prevention literacy, stigma reduction, and treatment engagement. The campaign centers on launching live cultural/music events led by youth ambassadors and peer navigators, which then seed a youth-designed TikTok challenge where participants create short-form content around key HIV health modules.

By leveraging social media and live events, the project seeks to move CRCs out of isolated silos to share ideas, identify commonalities, and foster a deeper understanding of youth attitudes toward accessing HIV care.

IMARA-HMP

Beene Chitempa, Olawole Ayorinde, Tukiya Kanguya, Collins Obi, Oluwatayo Damilola

IMARA-HMP is a digital platform designed to bridge communication between adolescents and caregivers while combining sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance use support, and emotional wellbeing. Addressing the gap in existing digital interventions—which often silo youth groups and exclude caregivers—IMARA-HMP provides an inclusive, adaptive ecosystem. Grounded in collaboration between ZAIMARA and RISE, the initiative utilizes an AI-Guided Conversation Coach, personalized pathways, mood tracking, depression screenings, and dual-user caregiver-adolescent profile syncing to facilitate open, non-judgmental dialogue around sensitive topics.

The project employs the ADAPT-ITT framework to adapt the platform across diverse youth demographics and aims to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and impact on family communication skills in Zambia and Nigeria. IMARA-HMP delivers a cost-effective, culturally relevant solution that strengthens family dynamics and adolescent health outcomes.

VIDA

Mwamba Mwenge, Hannah Nancy Nkhoma, Asima U. Kapalepale

Video Intervention for Daughters’ Adherence & prevention (VIDA) is a joint initiative between VS4A and ZAIMARA designed to leverage family support for adolescent girls across the HIV care continuum. Answering the World Health Organization’s 2024 call for combined prevention, treatment, and care programming, VIDA provides a single, HIV-status neutral framework that adapts to both HIV-negative and HIV-positive adolescent girls. The project brings together complementary strengths by combining ZAIMARA’s rigorous communication demonstrations with VS4A’s scalable, engaging video delivery into one efficient, cost-effective model.

The initiative involves co-creation workshops that produce a unified video library and training curriculum, branching into two distinct tracks following HIV testing: a Prevention Track focusing on healthy relationships, condom use, HIV testing, and mental health screening/referral and an Adherence Track focusing on family pill reminders, clinic visits, adherence barrier management, and mental health support.

Designed for Scale: Winning Ideas to Accelerate Lenacapavir Uptake Among Youth in Africa

by Emily Hickner | May 26, 2026 | INSPIRE Designathon, Learning Core

Photos by Tobi Ishola.

Eight dynamic teams of research and community collaborators journeyed across Africa — converging on Lagos, Nigeria for the second annual INSPIRE Designathon Sprint. The energy was electric from the moment teams arrived, bringing bold ideas, deep community knowledge, and a shared passion to change the trajectory of HIV prevention and care for young people. Over three packed days (2-4 May 2026), INSPIRE team members and competing designathon teams dove into expert-led discussions, networking sessions, and tailored coaching — all focused on one transformative challenge: scaling up lenacapavir (LEN) for youth-centered HIV prevention and care across Africa.

LEN represents one of the most promising long-acting HIV prevention and treatment options. LEN is a highly-effective, twice-yearly injectable, which makes adherence easier and delivery more discreet. For adolescents and young adults grappling with access barriers, stigma, and the daily challenges of staying on treatment, LEN isn’t just a new drug — it’s a game-changer.

Similar to a hackathon, during this three-day, intensive sprint, teams work together to design and present their ideas. Eight semifinalist teams — selected from nearly 40 proposals for their innovative solutions — sharpened their project ideas using the guidance and support they have received from experts throughout the sprint. On the final day, teams delivered five-minute pitches to a panel of judges, fielding tough questions and defending their visions. Additionally, each team submitted a PLAN (People Learning, Adapting & Nurturing) diagram and executive summary.

After a careful and intense deliberation, three teams were selected for their originality, relevance, feasibility and scalability. These teams were awarded seed funding to pilot or implement their winning project ideas. Over the course of the next year, these teams will work with INSPIRE and their affiliated PATC³H-IN Clinical Research Center to bring their strategies to life.

Despite the progress made so far in preventing the transmission and care for HIV patients access Africa, access to these services are big issues, making it impossible to reach our young people. This designathon is dedicated to develop creative ideas on how to scale up and sustain HIV interventions for adolescents and young adults.

– Juliet Iwelunmor, INSPIRE Director

Three Winning Designathon Teams

All eight designathon teams pose with INSPIRE team members and coaches from the event.

Designathon participants and supporting faculty and staff

Team Hair Salon embraces INSPIRE Director Juliet Iwelunmor

Designathon Sprint judges

Meet the winning teams

Hair Salon

South Africa | ATTUNE

Team Hair Salon is comprised of Kananelo Lehlohonolo Moshabesha, Mamaswatsi Pearl Kopeka, Charné Petinger and Yolanda Mayman. They seek to address the critical gap in youth-friendly, stigma-free, and trusted access points for HIV prevention information and services by shifting access from clinical spaces to trusted, community-based environments, improving the acceptability, accessibility, and uptake of Lenacapavir among adolescent girls and young women. Their unique approach involves using braiding salons, which are existing community-spaces, as venues for delivering information about LEN without the stigma associated with healthcare facilities, and with the help of trained trusted stylists. Hair Salon is reimagining HIV prevention delivery by shifting the conversation from clinical to personal.

It was a dynamic experience with dynamic people. It facilitated growth… All of us (the teams) were talking and brainstorming amongst each other.

– Charné Petinger, Hair Salon

Team NEXUS

Nigeria | iCARE Plus

Team Nexus consists of Sulaimon Afeez Olatunji, Offor Gab-Cliton Nwakobi, Oluwafemi Adeshina, and Hannah O. Smart. Their project — SafePass Lagos — aims to pilot a gamified youth-centered LEN delivery model that can be replicated across Africa. SafePass is designed for young men who engage with sex with men and currently have an HIV-negative status. In a system that does not consider this particularly vulnerable population, which is at a 16-times higher risk for contracting HIV, SafePass has been built with the input of its target community. This community faces daily pill adherence burden, stigma and discrimination, and delayed care — all contributing to low PrEP rentention. The SafePass app aims to overcome logistical barriers — like low bandwidth — and structural barriers — like criminalization — with a privacy-first design that work on slow Internet networks. The app takes specific problems such as patients fearing their name being called in waiting rooms and targets them with concrete solutions such as anonymous check-in with a QR code. Team Nexus has proposed a scalable solution that addresses the unique needs of its community and offers actionable solutions.

As a team, we recognize each person’s strengths and make the best use of them.

– Sulaimon Afeez Olatunji, Team NEXUS

Team MyCare

Nigeria | S-ITEST

Team MyCare —Mobilizing Youth On Campuses For Lenacapavir Access, Uptake, and Referral — is Johnson Davidson Chukwuemeka, Olaoluwaposi Ogunlana, Halimat Olaniyan, and Victor Oluwafemi Femi-Lawal. Their project address the access gap young people in Nigeria face by designing with youth, rather than just for them. They do this by co-creating culturally-relevant materials, promoting on school campuses and other youth-friendly spaces, using a WhatsApp referral system, and deploying 30 trained and trusted peer influencers to drive the conversation. The project works when students scan a QR code on a poster to confidentially message MyCare on WhatsApp. The student is connected with a competent peer navigator who conducts a brief risk assessment and provides stigma-free information. The student is then linked to a trusted facility for a LEN screening and care. Team MyCare redefines how we deliver public health to young people through a scalable blueprint that meets youth where they are.

For me and my team, MyCare, the Designathon was a transformative experience. From learning about co-creation methods to the opportunity to gain insights from implementation science experts, I felt empowered about the ability of young people to be a part of the solution to the HIV epidemic in Africa.

-Victor Oluwafemi Femi-Lawal, Team MyCare

Meet the 2026 Designathon Teams

by Emily Hickner | Apr 14, 2026 | INSPIRE Designathon, Learning Core

This May, eight teams will travel to Lagos, Nigeria for INSPIRE’s three-day Designathon Sprint to hone and pitch their ideas on scaling up lenacapavir (LEN) for youth-centered HIV prevention and care across Africa. These teams represent four African countries and six PATC³H-IN clinical research centers. They were selected by a review team of experts from nearly 40 submissions to our open call for proposals. Their proposals were judged on:

Proposal clarity and logic
Significance- relevance, impact, projected outcomes
Innovation
Feasibility and rigor
Team capacity, professional goals, and composition

Teams will spend two days learning from experts in the field and refining their ideas. On the third and final day of the sprint, teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges for the opportunity to be one of three teams awarded up to US$10,000 to implement their project ideas over the course of a year.

Read on to learn about these teams and their exciting project ideas.

Meet the Teams

BioSecure

Nigeria | RISE

Hassan Oladipupo Ismail | Ighorodge Victory Christopher

As medical students and youth leaders, BioSecure recognizes that biological efficacy means little without last-mile delivery. Their project — BioSecure: Pulse — aims to decouple PrEP delivery from congested, stigmatized healthcare facilities by shifting delivery directly to the community level. This project leverages an offline-first, multi-sectoral digital logistics platform to transform community pharmacies into discreet, last-mile delivery nodes for youth. To maximize youth integration, users access the service branded as “Sexual Wellness & Lifestyle Protection” rather than a clinical HIV program. They book discreet time slots to minimize wait times and visibility, while a gamified “Pulse Points” system incentivizes their crucial six-month return visits with immediate rewards like data bundles.

Hair salon

South Africa | ATTUNE

Kananelo Lehlohonolo Moshabesha | Mamaswatsi Pearl Kopeka | Charné Petinger | Yolanda Mayman

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa are at a disproportionately higher risk of acquiring HIV than their male counterparts. This inequity is caused by a myriad of structural and cultural factors that impact the burden on AGYW. Despite the elevated risk, AGYW are hesitant to use PrEP. There is a need for trusted community-based, stigma-free spaces that provide accurate information about PrEP and link young people to LEN. Team Hair Salon seeks to use the salon space for providing access to information about LEN without the stigma associated with healthcare facilities, and with the help of trained trusted stylists.

PeerLEN Tanzania

Tanzania | MWOTAJI

Winfrida Onesmo Akyoo | Raphael Ruseke | Frank Immanuel Mhando | Haji Rajabu Mushi

PeerLEN Tanzania aims to co-design and implement a peer-led LEN delivery model tailored for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) ages 18–30 who work in hospitality and entertainment venues in Dar es Salaam. This population faces barriers — including stigma, mobility, economic dependence, pill burden, and daily dosing fatigue — which have historically undermined adherence to daily oral PrEP. Guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment framework and grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and the Andersen Behavioral Model, PeerLEN’s intervention integrates peer modeling, community engagement, and facility-based clinical delivery. By embedding LEN delivery within trusted youth social networks rather than parallel health systems, PeerLEN Tanzania will produce a scalable, sustainable model adaptable across African urban settings.

SafeSix

Uganda | MUJHU

Wandera Uthmaan Muluga | Namatovu Angella | MUSOKI DRAKE | MWEMEKE OSCAR

SafeSix works at the intersection of frontline HIV service delivery and research. Their low-cost, peer-anchored intervention is designed to support young adults in African settings to maintain their six-month LEN injection schedule for HIV prevention. The project uses a peer-anchored continuity package, including reminders from a trained peer and a neutral appointment card to protect privacy and reduce stigma. This model is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing youth-friendly clinics and community services. SafeSix addresses the core implementation challenge of long-acting HIV prevention — ensuring young people consistently return for injections and remain protected over time. The team’s long-term goal is to develop and test delivery innovations that can be integrated into sustainable prevention programs.

Team Catalyst

Nigeria | iCARE PLUS

Adeniyi Olayinka Abidemi | AMAO ADEBAYO OLAWUWO | Olayemi Tosin Akinpelu | Isaac-Ironondu Mmeli Victory

Team Catalyst’s proposed project — LENApp — aims to prototype a digitally enabled, peer-powered ecosystem that transforms how adolescents and young adults engage with PrEP—shifting from clinic-centered delivery to youth-centered access. The team plans to work with existing HIV and PrEP programs across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria to identify and reach out to young people who are eligible for LEN via peer navigators. Those who start LEN will gain access to the mobile platform, which will send them appointment reminders, provide health information, and allow users to report side effects or ask questions confidentially. Lastly, the team will bring LEN closer to young people by offering it in adolescent-friendly clinics, community outreaches, and safe spaces.

Team MyCare

Nigeria | S-ITEST

Johnson Davidson Chukwuemeka | Olaoluwaposi Ogunlana | Halimat Olaniyan | Victor Oluwafemi Femi-Lawal

Team MyCare’s experience working with adolescents and young adults has taught them the importance of involving young people in designing delivery models. Their project will test a youth-led communication and peer navigation approach embedded within university campuses and linked to pharmacies and youth-friendly centres. By adapting the peer navigator model and expanding access points beyond traditional key population networks, their approach strengthens awareness, improves confidential linkage, and situates LEN within broader HIV prevention services. Because similar structural barriers exist across many African countries, this model offers a practical pathway for integrating LEN into youth-centered HIV care across the region.

Team NEXUS

Nigeria | ICARE PLUS

Oluwafemi Adeshina | SULAIMON AFEEZ OLATUNJI | Hannah Olumayomikun Smart | Offor Gab-cliton Nwakobi

Team Nexus’ project — SafePass Lagos — aims to pilot a gamified youth-centered LEN delivery model that can be replicated across Africa. Using an anonymous mobile app, Team Nexus will enroll at-risk youth via peer networks and conduct telehealth HIV screenings. Eligible participants receive an initial LEN dose at the clinic and a weekly reminder system with incentives to enable them to return for the second dose in six months. Each weekly check-in earns points redeemable for essentials (data bundles, transport vouchers, etc.), leveraging evidence that even small financial rewards greatly boost adherence. Using data collected through SafePass, Team Nexus aims to generate an open-source toolkit showing how to integrate LEN into existing youth programs.

Team REACH

Nigeria | S-ITEST

Olowu James Ochoyoda | EDIONWE MIRACLE OSASENAGA | Ruth Yetunde Daniel | Idoko Philip

Team REACH is committed to bridging the gap between biomedical innovation and implementation for adolescents and young adults in Nigeria. Evidence from prior HIV prevention rollouts shows that biomedical innovations frequently reach adolescents and marginalized youth last when delivery systems remain clinic centered. Team REACH seeks to address this challenge through their Youth-Integrated Lenacapavir Delivery Model (Y-LAP). Y-LAP utilizes peer ambassador-led awareness; risk screening on digital engagement platforms, pop-up and mobile clinics operating as extensions of licensed facilities in trusted youth spaces; and trained navigators to support return visits. This integrated model reduces structural barriers to access while maintaining clinical quality and regulatory compliance.

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