Tiwonge Gondwe

Tiwonge was a subsistence farmer before she took up activism; she works to improve the lives of people living with HIV, the virus causing Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrom (AIDS). She represents her home, Malawi, in regional and international conferences, while supporting those with the virus at the community and national level. 

Left to raise seven children in a society where ignorance and fear about HIV and AIDS were rising faster than infection rates, Tiwonge overcame the shame and poverty of being a young widow with HIV, eventually forming her own visionary team. Tiwonge and her organization have made great changes to culture and patriarchal practices in Malawi; her changes have influenced countries throughout Africa.