Samuel Matsikure
Co-chair

Samuel is currently the Programme Manager for Health Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and Coordinator for the Prevention and Research Initiative for Sexual Minorities in Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, a project run in collaboration with Schorer Netherlands. He has a diploma in systemic Therapy from Zimbabwe Institute of Systemic Therapy, a Certificate in Systemic Counselling and he is currently studying towards a degree in Psychological Counselling with UNISA.
 

Dr Steave Nemande
Co-chair

Born in 1976, Steave Nemande is a Medical Doctor and a human rights activist. He currently works as the Director of Evolve, and was the cofounder of Alternatives Cameroun. Earlier this year Dr Nemande was nominated as the MARPS representative on the Cameroonian Country Coordinating Mechanism.

He also works part-time with his father in a private Clinic in Douala. Half of his time is dedicated to working at the Access Centre, an HIV clinic where HIV positive men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women, and people living with HIV in general are taken care of for free. Steave’s commitment to fight HIV started in 2003 when he worked at a public hospital in Douala, in charge of the follow-up of HIV patients. Three years later, he was appointed as programme associate in a local NGO of women fighting against Aids, where he worked on programme management and reporting until the opening of the Access Centre on 2008.

Dawie Nel
Treasurer

Dawie Nel has been working with LGBT issues for more than 10 years. He is the Director of OUT and responsible for ways to scale up services to LGBT people in South Africa. He was born in Pretoria where he currently resides. Dawie holds a Masters Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently working on his Phd, looking at social and sexual networks among gay men in Pretoria. He serves on the Johannesburg Pride Board.

Dr Paul Semugoma
Member

Dr Semugoma was born 1970 in Uganda and studied medicine in Africa at a time when HIV was a new and terrible epidemic. While practicing in Uganda, at a clinic which treated HIV patients, he came face to face with the huge gap in HIV prevention for the sexual minorities in Uganda, which was at a time Uganda was being lauded for its efforts to control a rampant epidemic.

He taught himself with regards to the special needs of the sexual minorities and became involved in service delivery, the care of sexual minorities who are HIV positive, social advocacy to eliminate the barriers to sexual health. Currently he lives and works in Uganda. He is a founder member and serves on AMSHeR on the Executive, besides being a Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for MSM and HIV.

Joel Gustave Nana
AMSHeR: Executive Director

Mr. Nana is a human rights advocate with extensive experience on health and human rights issues at national  and international levels. Mr Nana's experience spans several African countries including the DRC, Malawi, Senegal, and South Africa in addition to his native Cameroon. In addition to the various African languages Mr Nana expresses himself in, he is also fluent in English and French. Mr. Nana is a holder of an LLM (Masters) in International Human Rights Law.

Samuel Matsikure
Co-chair

Samuel is currently the Programme Manager for Health Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and Coordinator for the Prevention and Research Initiative for Sexual Minorities in Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, a project run in collaboration with Schorer Netherlands. He has a diploma in systemic Therapy from Zimbabwe Institute of Systemic Therapy, a Certificate in Systemic Counselling and he is currently studying towards a degree in Psychological Counselling with UNISA.
 

Dr Steave Nemande
Co-chair

Born in 1976, Steave Nemande is a Medical Doctor and a human rights activist. He currently works as the Director of Evolve, and was the cofounder of Alternatives Cameroun. Earlier this year Dr Nemande was nominated as the MARPS representative on the Cameroonian Country Coordinating Mechanism.

He also works part-time with his father in a private Clinic in Douala. Half of his time is dedicated to working at the Access Centre, an HIV clinic where HIV positive men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women, and people living with HIV in general are taken care of for free. Steave’s commitment to fight HIV started in 2003 when he worked at a public hospital in Douala, in charge of the follow-up of HIV patients. Three years later, he was appointed as programme associate in a local NGO of women fighting against Aids, where he worked on programme management and reporting until the opening of the Access Centre on 2008.

Dawie Nel
Treasurer

Dawie Nel has been working with LGBT issues for more than 10 years. He is the Director of OUT and responsible for ways to scale up services to LGBT people in South Africa. He was born in Pretoria where he currently resides. Dawie holds a Masters Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently working on his Phd, looking at social and sexual networks among gay men in Pretoria. He serves on the Johannesburg Pride Board.

Dr Paul Semugoma
Member

Dr Semugoma was born 1970 in Uganda and studied medicine in Africa at a time when HIV was a new and terrible epidemic. While practicing in Uganda, at a clinic which treated HIV patients, he came face to face with the huge gap in HIV prevention for the sexual minorities in Uganda, which was at a time Uganda was being lauded for its efforts to control a rampant epidemic.

He taught himself with regards to the special needs of the sexual minorities and became involved in service delivery, the care of sexual minorities who are HIV positive, social advocacy to eliminate the barriers to sexual health. Currently he lives and works in Uganda. He is a founder member and serves on AMSHeR on the Executive, besides being a Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for MSM and HIV.

Joel Gustave Nana
AMSHeR: Executive Director

Mr. Nana is a human rights advocate with extensive experience on health and human rights issues at national  and international levels. Mr Nana's experience spans several African countries including the DRC, Malawi, Senegal, and South Africa in addition to his native Cameroon. In addition to the various African languages Mr Nana expresses himself in, he is also fluent in English and French. Mr. Nana is a holder of an LLM (Masters) in International Human Rights Law.