Meet Oyama "Yams" Eland, an AWPCAB HIV Prevention Champion from South Africa. What began as curiosity about one HIV prevention option has grown into a journey of confidence, lived experience, and helping others make informed prevention choices.
When Oyama Eland first stepped into HIV prevention advocacy, her understanding of prevention choice was limited to a single option: the dapivirine ring.
Her aunt, also an advocate, had introduced her to it, sparking countless questions.
"How do you use it? How long does it stay in the body? What are the side effects? Where does it sit? Can it interact with other medication?"
Those questions became the beginning of a much bigger journey.
Driven by a desire to learn more and serve her community, Oyama joined the AWPCAB HIV Prevention in Action Academy, where she deepened her understanding of HIV prevention options and what it means to advocate for informed choice.
One experience, in particular, changed the way she sees advocacy.
Working with young people in her community, she was inspired by how eager they were to learn about their health. But she also heard their frustrations with healthcare systems that sometimes fail to provide the access and support they deserve.
"We can only do so much as citizens," she reflects. "The powers that be also need to pull their weight to ensure our basic human right to health is not being infringed upon, and that access and comprehensive care are at the centre."
Another moment stayed with her even more deeply.
During a training session, participants were asked to raise their hands if they had ever used an HIV prevention method. Only two people in a room full of HIV prevention advocates raised their hands.
That moment challenged her.
She realised that while knowledge is important, lived experience also matters. Young people deserve to hear from advocates who understand prevention options not only from books but from personal experience.
Today, Oyama uses the dapivirine ring herself.
"It feels like self-care," she says. "It's female-initiated, and it's helped me feel more connected to my own body because I've learned to insert and remove it myself."
Using the ring has transformed the way she speaks with others.
"Now I'm speaking from experience, and it's no longer a reality that feels far from me."
The Academy has also strengthened the way she communicates, encouraging her to use people-first language and make every conversation more respectful and inclusive.
Beyond the training, Oyama has already begun turning knowledge into action. She has shared her personal experience with the ring on social media, educated friends about the different HIV prevention options available, and celebrated as two of them chose to start using a prevention method that suited their lives.
For her, that's what prevention choice is all about.
"I would educate people about the different prevention options, then have them imagine their own lives and think about which option would fit them best."
Looking back, the biggest change isn't just what she knows.
It's the confidence she now carries.
"I now trust myself and my ability to share the information I have," she says.
And perhaps her proudest achievement is knowing that her conversations are helping others make informed decisions about their health.
One conversation. One informed choice. One more young person empowered to decide what works best for them.