From Loss to Leadership: Brenda Kisakye’s Journey of Resilience and Advocacy

Brenda Kisakye is 22 years old. She was born in 2003 and became an orphan before she was even one year old. Growing up without her parents, and with little connection to extended family, Brenda learned early what it means to face life with limited protection and support.

Living with HIV has been one of her greatest challenges. “What I went through, I wouldn’t want any other girls to experience,” she says. The daily reality of treatment has not been easy. “The pill burden is real.” There were days when Brenda took her medication on an empty stomach, having gone several days without food. Others told her that the only way to survive was to depend on men, advice she firmly rejected despite the hardship it brought.

Brenda lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS while still an infant. She was born with the disease and was raised by her mother’s friends, as she never had contact with her father’s relatives. Before her passing, her mother had not disclosed their identity to anyone.

Stigma followed her closely. Some people chased her away, believing that living with HIV was a curse. Yet even in these painful moments, Brenda found strength. “The reason why we young people don’t adhere is because we don’t believe in ourselves,” she reflects, drawing from her own experience.

Determined to turn her struggle into purpose, Brenda became involved in mentor ship and advocacy in schools, particularly in Uganda’s central region. She also uses social media to reach young people with messages of hope, self-belief, and responsibility, encouraging them to adhere to treatment and protect their health.

Brenda’s voice featured in a September 2025 virtual online Day of the Girl Digital Girl Takeover with the UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. During the dialogue, Brenda powerfully highlighted persistent gaps in sexual and reproductive health and rights, the stigma faced by young people living with HIV, and the urgent need for responsive, youth-centred treatment and support services.

Until recently, Brenda worked with Mildmay Uganda as a Young Adolescent Peer Supporter, offering guidance and solidarity to others walking a similar path. However, due to recent financial cuts linked to USAID, she was among those laid off. Despite this setback, her commitment has not wavered.

“The life of taking medicine is not easy,” Brenda says. “That is the reason I have dedicated my life to advising young people on how to stay safe.” Brenda’s story is one of resilience, courage, and quiet leadership—proof that even in the face of loss, stigma, and uncertainty, young women can rise to support others and create change.

Brenda says her journey of advocacy started in 2023 after she joined the Leads project under Plan International that empowers young women and girls to fight the social negative gender norms and participate in leadership and where she met Plan GLS (Global Learning for Sustainability) a consortium of partners.

“It was during this time that I was given the opportunity to be part of the Girls Takeover event, where I was matched with the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. I am deeply grateful for the experience—it truly inspired me. She did not see me only as a girl living with HIV, and that encouraged me to continue on my leadership journey,” says Brenda.

Ms. Chiwangu encouraged Brenda Kisakye to actively engage with young women and girls through various UN Women initiatives, while also calling on partners to strengthen their support in ensuring young women like Brenda can access affordable, life-saving medication.