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Crossing The Last Mile

Crossing The Last Mile

Written by: UNAIDS East and Southern Africa
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Welcome to Crossing The Last Mile, a podcast by UNAIDS East and Southern Africa, hosted by Anne Githuku Shongwe.

Join us for this and other episodes as we tell the remarkable story of resilience and undying hope for the journey to end AIDs as a public health threat by 2030.

This podcast is supported by the partnership 2gether4SRHR and was made at SemaBOX.

Walk with us as we go Crossing The Last Mile.

You can find out more about us and our work by logging on the links below:

https://www.unaids.org/en
https://www.2gether4srhr.org/
https://semabox.africa/UNAIDS East and Southern Africa Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Hot Mic with Nomonde Ngema (Minisode)

    Hot Mic with Nomonde Ngema (Minisode)
    May 25 2026
    TBD

    Executive producers: Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Bathsheba Okwenje for UNAIDS
    Producers: Koketso Madubye, Aude Labbe-Videau
    Creative Lead; Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Writers: Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Engineering: Dan Aceda, House of Dillie
    Narration by Susan Kimashia
    Mix and Mastering - SemaBOX
    Supported by - 2gerther 4 SRHR
    All rights reserved.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • Episode 2 - Nomonde Ngema: young, positive, unstoppable

    Episode 2 - Nomonde Ngema: young, positive, unstoppable
    Apr 1 2026
    In East and Southern Africa, HIV has a face, and it is disproportionately young and female.
    Of the 21.1 million people living with HIV in the region, adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 acquire HIV at three times the rate of their male peers. Of every new infection among young people in this region, 28% are in adolescent girls and young women.

    But behind every statistic is a life. A story of navigating relationships, healthcare systems, stigma, and self-worth, often in silence.

    Understanding what it truly means to live with HIV as a young woman in this region isn't just an act of compassion. It's essential intelligence for anyone working to end this epidemic. Because the last mile isn't a road. It's a person.

    Today, we hear from one of them: Nomonde Ngema


    Executive producers: Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Bathsheba Okwenje for UNAIDS
    Producers: Koketso Madubye, Aude Labbe-Videau
    Creative Lead; Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Writers: Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Engineering: Dan Aceda, House of Dillie
    Narration by Susan Kimashia
    Mix and Mastering - SemaBOX
    Supported by - 2gerther 4 SRHR
    All rights reserved.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Episode 1 - Richard Lusimbo: Leading with Compassion on the LGBTQ+ Last Mile to end AIDS

    Episode 1 - Richard Lusimbo: Leading with Compassion on the LGBTQ+ Last Mile to end AIDS
    Feb 13 2026
    Welcome to Crossing the Last Mile

    The data tells us an uncomfortable truth: HIV follows inequality.

    Across the world, people pushed to the margins of society - sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and people in prisons - remain most vulnerable. Not because of who they are, but because of systems that exclude and criminalize them.

    We cannot end AIDS without them.

    That is why, today, we are speaking to Richard Lusimbo, fearless LGBTQ activist and HIV advocate who has built a powerful coalition that strengthens key populations and drives change.

    A bold, compassionate and strategic leader, Richard’s journey challenges, inspires and demands to be heard.

    Join us as we explore his story, impact and vision for crossing the last mile.



    Executive producers: Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Bathsheba Okwenje for UNAIDS
    Producers: Koketso Madubye, Aude Labbe-Videau
    Creative Lead; Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Writers: Dan Aceda, Bathsheba Okwenje
    Engineering: Dan Aceda, House of Dillie
    Narration by Susan Kimashia
    Mix and Mastering - SemaBOX
    Supported by - 2gerther 4 SRHR
    All rights reserved.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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