AVAC Advocates' Network Update

November 1, 2011

Dear Advocates,

AVAC is pleased to join a number of partners to announce the call for nominations for the 2012 Omololu Falobi Award for Excellence in HIV Prevention Research Community Advocacy. This update includes information on the award and a link to the nomination form, due December 5, 2011.

Five years ago on October 5, 2006, we lost our brother and colleague Omololu Falobi. Those who knew Omololu will remember him—among many other things—as a talented journalist, an activist for social justice, an advocate for prevention research and a son of Africa who worked tirelessly to ensure Africans were taking ownership of their own HIV care and prevention. Omololu founded the Journalists Against AIDS in Nigeria (JAAIDS), co-created the Nigeria-AIDS eForum, co-founded the New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS), was an instrumental pioneer member of the Treatment Access Movement (TAM) Nigeria, and a key leader of the African Civil Society Coalition on HIV and AIDS. He was tragically killed in 2006 in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2008, in honor of Omololu’s memory and commitment to the field, the Omololu Falobi Award for Excellence in HIV Prevention Research Community Advocacy was established by the African Microbicides Advocacy Group (AMAG) and partners. The Award is presented to a community advocate in recognition of his/her contribution to the HIV prevention research field through community advocacy. Individuals are nominated by their peers, and the winner is announced at the biennial International Microbicides Conferences. Lori Heise (USA) and Aylur Srikrishnan (India) were the 2008 recipients and Charles Shagi (Tanzania) the 2010 recipient.

In continuation of this tradition and to mark the fifth anniversary of Omololu’s death, AVAC is pleased to join partners to announce the call for nominations of the 2012 Omololu Falobi Award.

The Nomination and Selection Process

Nominations can be made by an individual or organization; self-nominations will NOT be accepted.
Nomination forms are available at www.avac.org/omololufalobi.
Nomination forms and recommendation letters should be sent to omololufalobiaward@yahoo.com by Monday, December 5, 2011.
Nominations will be reviewed by an Independent Review Panel (international panel made up of researchers, advocates and people living with HIV).
The recipient will be informed before the 2012 International Microbicides Conference (M2012) and recognized at the M2012 closing ceremony in Sydney, Australia in April 2012.

For more information email omololufalobiaward@yahoo.com.

Best,

AVAC on behalf of partners: AMAG, the African AIDS Vaccine Partnership (AAVP), the Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM), the International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA), Journalists Against AIDS Nigeria (JAAIDS), New HIV Vaccine and Microbicides Advocacy Society (NHVMAS), and Treatment Access Movement (TAM) Nigeria.