AHDA March-April 2026 Newsletter: From Community Voices to Impactful Action

20 May 2026

AHDA MARCH-APRIL 2026

Welcome to AHDA's March-April 2026 newsletter. This edition captures two months of focused delivery: moving integrated advocacy from tools to field practice, convening youth and Community Health Workers across Tanzania in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania with the support from the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), documenting community dialogues, AI and SRHR conversations, recognising young women changemakers, and strengthening our voice in national and regional conversations.

Across March and April, one message became clear: communities do not experience malaria, neglected tropical diseases, climate pressures, nutrition, mental health, sanitation gaps and access barriers as separate issues. They experience them together. Our response is therefore practical and integrated - helping communities identify risks, agree responsibilities and act through local leadership, youth champions and CHWs.

We also invite you (partners, young people, practitioners and institutions) to join us in Dodoma during the Tanzania Mental Health Summit, 28-29 May 2026, where we will lead conversations on digital transformation, community engagement and mental health services beyond health facilities.

Tanzania Mental Health Summit: 28-29 May 2026, Dodoma

AHDA at World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026, Nairobi, Kenya

AHDA participated in the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026 in Nairobi, contributing to conversations on nutrition, climate resilience and community-centred health systems. Through Track 8 on women, adolescents, child health and nutrition, AHDA reinforced the role of women, youth and CHWs in improving nutrition and health outcomes across African communities.

The engagement positioned AHDA's field experience within a wider regional conversation: health systems become more resilient when communities are treated as partners in planning, prevention and response.

Responsible AI and SRHR: a safer generation conversation

On 11 April 2026, AHDA convened a Youth Roundtable on how artificial intelligence is shaping sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to information, services and care. The discussion centred on a practical principle: people must remain in charge of decisions, while digital tools support - not replace - trusted human judgement.

Young professionals discussed trust, misinformation, governance, ethics, access, privacy and youth agency. The next step is to shape a youth statement on AI and SRHR and continue widening the conversation through webinars and cross-country youth engagement.

Integrated advocacy

AHDA completed the first round of orientation for 160 youth leaders and CHWs across Kiteto, Ulanga, Nzega Town Council and Pangani. The cohort included 90 female and 70 male participants. Fourteen initial community dialogues were documented, reaching at least 104 community members and generating practical local action points. The dialogues linked malaria and NTD prevention with drainage, stagnant water, flooding, hygiene, vegetation, sanitation, distance to services and weak uptake of prevention messages. This confirmed that integrated advocacy is not an abstract model; it reflects how communities already understand risk.

160
Youth + CHWs trained
90 Female | 70 Male

14
Community Dialogues
104+ members reached

4
Councils
Kiteto, Ulanga, Nzega TC, Pangani

14
Action Points
Local solutions identified

Community members and CHWs participating in integrated advocacy dialogue session

What changed on the ground

The Integrated Community Dialogue Toolkit is helping facilitators move from one-way messaging to structured community problem-solving. It supports inclusive conversations, risk mapping, prioritisation, action planning and follow-up through local leadership, CHWs and youth champions.

Communities identified immediate actions such as clearing breeding sites, improving drainage, protecting water points, using mosquito nets and strengthening hygiene, while also naming issues that require council or service-provider support.

Integrated Community Dialogue Toolkit

A standardised model for community engagement through facilitated community dialogues and a reporting system aligned with government structures. The toolkit bridges malaria, NTDs, climate health, and local ownership, ensuring that community voices translate into actionable advocacy.

Her Impact Gala 2026

During International Women's Day week, we convened the Her Impact Gala 2026 to recognise and celebrate young women leading change in their communities and sectors. Twenty young women changemakers were recognised from more than 267 nominations, alongside partners, mentors and senior leaders.

The gala was intentionally brief, visible and practical: celebrate leadership, connect young women with mentors and keep building a platform where women's contribution is recognised before it is overlooked.

Read more about the Her Impact Gala 2026 →

20
Young Women Honourees
267+ Nominations

World Malaria Day 2026: Driven to end malaria for healthier, developed and more resilient communities

For World Malaria Day, AHDA used strategic storytelling to highlight lived experiences behind malaria prevention and response. Community members, CHWs, medical personnel and youth advocates contributed voices through a short campaign video and an interactive online malaria stories dashboard.

The campaign reinforces our position that disease elimination requires more than commodities and technical messages. It also requires trust, local evidence, community ownership and channels that make people's experiences visible.

Uni2Kitaa Cohort 2026

Uni2Kitaa Cohort 2026, brings together 60 university students from Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam and Arusha. The six-month blended programme will combine in-person learning with online modules through the AHDA Knowledge Hub.

The cohort will focus on practical skills that young people can apply beyond the classroom, including digital literacy, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, mental health, professional networking and community action.

From Rights to Reality: Amplifying Young Women's Voices

In partnership with The Story Book Africa, AHDA convened a dialogue focused on what justice and dignity look like in everyday life for young women. The conversation brought attention to health access, stigma-free care, dignity in decision-making and the need to hear young women beyond formal policy spaces.

'Rights becomes meaningful when women can access healthcare in time, seek care without stigma, and feel heard in decisions that affect their lives' - Dr Mary Suke, AHDA

The engagement also amplified personal stories from young women in Tanzania and Kenya, showing how rights become meaningful when they translate into real access, safety, voice and respect.

Watch: From Rights to Reality dialogue (March 2026)

Looking ahead: Tanzania Mental Health Summit

AHDA will join stakeholders at the Tanzania Mental Health Summit from 28-29 May 2026 at the Jakaya Kikwete Convention Centre in Dodoma. AHDA will host a workshop titled 'Digital Transformation and Mental Health Services Beyond Health Facilities'.

The session will explore how digitalisation can expand access to mental health support, especially for young people, and how partnerships can strengthen services beyond conventional facility settings.

28-29 May 2026
Dodoma, Tanzania