Felicita Hikuam is Director of the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), a regional partnership of civil society organisations working together across 18 countries in southern and east Africa. The ARASA partnership was initially set up to promote a rights-based response to HIV and recently pivoted to promote the core principle of respect for and protection of the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity in order to reduce inequality to achieve health, dignity and wellbeing for all in southern and east Africa. Felicita has more than 18 years of experience at national, regional and international levels in health and development advocacy and communication as well as influencing health policy, with a specific focus on HIV and other sexual and reproductive health and rights. Amongst others she coordinated a global anti-stigma campaign for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland and served as the African NGO delegate on the NGO delegation to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board. Felicita holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts (Integrated Marketing Communications and Electronic Media) from Wartburg College in the United States of America and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practise from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town. She currently serves on the boards of SRHR Africa Trust and Sonke Gender Justice.
