Dr. Lydia Mungherera is a respected medical doctor and passionate advocate for HIV, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights. She is the founding CEO of Mama’s Club, a community-based organization in Uganda that provides psychosocial support for HIV-positive mothers and empowers them to become peer supporters across multiple districts. Dr. Mungherera contributed significantly to global HIV treatment and prevention guidelines, collaborating with UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO). She served on the WHO 3 BY 5 Advisory Committee and aided development of antiretroviral distribution guidelines for resource-limited settings. Additionally, she co-chaired a learning group within the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS.
She has served on several local, regional, and international boards, including the Global Fund and UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board representing African civil society. In Uganda, she partners closely with the Ministry of Gender and was awarded the A Heroes Award on International Women’s Day by the President of Uganda.
As co-founder of the Global Athena Network, Dr. Mungherera promotes sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls. With over twenty years in gender-related work at national, regional, and global levels, she is a member of multiple technical working groups in Uganda’s Ministry of Health and actively supports national and community health system strengthening.
Recognized for her outstanding contributions to health policy, she received the Ministry of Health Lifetime Achiever Award. Dr. Mungherera continues to expand support networks for HIV-positive mothers and holds key roles in committees focused on eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission.
