Elizabeth Mataka

Biography

Elizabeth Mataka

Elizabeth Mataka is a social worker by training and has been working in the field of HIV and AIDS for the past 18 years. She has been involved in many different aspects of responding to the AIDS epidemic, including programmes on HIV prevention, clinical treatment for opportunistic infections, care and support at community and national levels. She has experience working in government, the private sector and with non-governmental organisations. Mrs Mataka is the founding Executive Director of the Family Health Trust which pioneered peer education amongst youth in Zambia. The Family Health Trust under her leadership initiated the response to the problem of orphans and other vulnerable children in 1990 in anticipation of a growing number of OVC as a result of a maturing AIDS epidemic.

Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN). The ZNAN is one of the principal recipients of the Global Fund in Zambia and sub-grants funds from the Global Fund to non faith-based civil society and private sector organisations responding to the AIDS and TB epidemics. Her organisation also manages and sub-grants funds from a number of bilateral donors.

She represents non-governmental organisations from developing countries on the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and serves as the board’s Vice Chair. Mrs Mataka is currently also the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa. She has been extensively engaged in networking and is one of the founding members of the Southern African Network of AIDS Service Organisations (SANASO) as well as the Zambia National AIDS Network.

She also services on various other bodies such as:

  • UNESCO – Advisory Committee Member (Prevention for Youths)
  • Advisory board – North Star Foundation
  • Member of the reference group – Swedish /Norwegian HIV/AIDS Team for Africa
  • Board member – Centre for Infectious Disease Research Zambia
  • Board member and Chairperson – Children International Zambia
  • Member – Compact Working Group on Gender.