Lebogang Motsumi
Lebogang Brenda Motsumi (born around 1989)[1] is a South African HIV activist and writer. She has been named a "Youth Hero" by the African Union, and she is a member of youth advisory boards at both the UNFPA and the African Union.
Early life and career[edit]
Lebogang Motsumi was born in Parktown, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.[2] On August 15, 2009, she got to know that she had received an HIV infection from a man 10 years her senior, a musician of some fame who later died.[3] After the infection, she got involved in HIV/AIDS activism.[4] She started sharing her life story at the XXI International AIDS Conference, 2016, more specifically shedding light on what she described as the problem with sugar daddies, or 'blessers' locally, who infect young girls and women with HIV.[5][6]
She works as an inspirational speaker and coach in South Africa,[2] and aims to inspire other young women in the country to stay healthy, and to stay in schools. She runs a support group at a hospital, and promotes defiance and abstinence of peer pressure among young girls and boys.[7] She also advocates for sex education,[8] and gives talks and speeches about the disease to other young people.[9] Due to her work, the African Union has honored her as a youth hero,[4] and she is a member of youth advisory boards both at UNFPA and at the African Union.[3] She is also an ambassador for Zazi, a South African campaign to strengthen girls and women.[3]
She has written the biography I'm Still Here![1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Sekudu, Bonolo. "Women who lived off blessers tell their story". Drum. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b Juma, Ali (11 July 2018). "There's life after HIV: Lady living positively with HIV gave birth to HIV-negative daughter". Briefly. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Population (10 April 2019). State of World Population 2019: Unfinished Business - The Pursuit of Rights and Choices for All. United Nations. ISBN 978-92-1-003964-2.
- ^ a b Luchsinger, Gretchen; Jensen, Janet; Jensen, Lois; Ottolini, Cristina (2019). Icons & Activists. 50 years of people making change (PDF). New York: UNFPA. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-89714-044-7.
- ^ AFP (21 July 2016). "'I thought HIV had a face - and I wasn't that face'". IOL. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Young African Women More Vulnerable to HIV". Inter Press Service. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Makhuvha, Lerato (18 November 2015). "Lebogang Brenda Motsumi". The South African National AIDS Council. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Crucial for Eastern and Southern African Youth – Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth". UNESCO. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Fallon, Amy (26 March 2018). "South Africa pushes to combat HIV among girls #blessed by sugar daddies". Reuters. Retrieved 13 April 2021.