The 2008 Unite to Fight Speaker Tour will bring together young AIDS activists from Zambia, Ireland, Uganda and the USA, and take them to a big room near you during a two-week barnstorming trip around 18 universities across the UK in October this year. The speakers will share their powerful personal experiences of HIV and their roles in the fight to achieve universal access by 2010. This will be an incredible chance to get more informed, more involved and more inspired to Unite to Fight HIV.

Lolisa Gibson, USA

An AIDS activist from New York, Lolisa (22) has been advocating for the rights of people living with HIV across the US, including marching in Alabama for the rights of a three year old boy to swim in the local pool. Lolisa was born with HIV but only learnt of her status at the age of 17. Despite her mother’s warning not to tell anyone Lolisa was motivated to make a difference in the world and started sharing her story and experiences with others. She is involved in the Campaign to End AIDS; community education through dance, music and song with PACT; and an advocacy and community organiser with the NYC ADS Housing Network.

Aloysious Tembeiza, Uganda

Aloysious, 26, lives in Jinja in Eastern Uganda. He has witnessed the impact HIV has had on the communities around him. Having completed high school, Aloysious volunteered with SPW, working with young people in a rural school and community to build knowledge and understanding of HIV and AIDS and working to combat the stigma and discrimination which often undermines efforts to tackle the spread of the virus.

Memory Phiri, Zambia

At the age of 21 and having spoken across Africa, at the UN and in front of Bill Clinton, Memory has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time. These achievements are all the more remarkable knowing that Memory contracted HIV when she was raped as a young girl growing up in an orphanage in Zambia. Motivated to stop what happened to her from happening again, she began to speak honestly about her status and through the Treatment, Advocacy, Literacy Campaign has become a powerful voice for the rights of young people and people living with HIV.

Kevin Duffy, Ireland

Kevin, 25 from Dublin, contracted HIV after having sex without a condom. He quickly realised that he had only a basic understanding of HIV and had a lot of questions he needed answered. Kevin has had to rethink lots of things in his life like his accommodation, his work, and his partying but drawing on support from his close family and friends is living positively with HIV. Realising that his own lack of understanding about HIV is reflected in a lack of understanding amongst young people across the UK and Ireland, he is keen to raise awareness and build up the knowledge of young people so they can protect themselves.