Adaobi Olisa

2025 will always stand out as the year that stretched me, reshaped me, and reminded me why my work matters. It was the most difficult transition of my early career; a season of loss, uncertainty, and unexpected beginnings. It was also a year that revealed the power of science, resilience, and partnerships.

Everything shifted the moment news broke about the U.S. presidential orders on January 20, 2025 pausing foreign aid. Overnight, uncertainty echoed across hallways, WhatsApp groups, and Teams meeting screens. At the FHI 360 office in Nigeria, our project team watched the situation unfold in real time as questions poured in from colleagues across ten countries: What does this mean for the MOSAIC project? For the CATALYST study? For the thousands of women relying on these U.S.-supported initiatives for HIV prevention products like injectable PrEP and the PrEP ring?

Then the official stop-work order came. It was sudden, unprecedented, and deeply painful.

All activities halted. External communications were barred. Laptops shut. Meetings canceled. For PrEP programs, including MOSAIC and CATALYST, the directive was final.

It wasn’t just a funding decision. It was the abrupt loss of choice for more than 5,000 women who had been receiving new PrEP options through the CATALYST study. They were left vulnerable at a moment when real progress toward delivering PrEP choice had finally begun. It was also an immediate job loss for me and thousands of other global health workers.

The Transition

LinkedIn became a sea of green “open to work” banners. Articles urged people to change careers. The fear was real.

And yet, I knew exactly where my heart stood.

I kept speaking about HIV prevention on webinars. I shared updates online to keep hope alive. I poured my energy into young people and even founded Beacon of Hope for Young Voices, a small way to continue supporting the response from my little corner of the world.

Then came a moment that changed my perspective: an invitation from the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Nigeria, sent not to an official work email, but to my personal inbox, asking me to support the development of national HIV prevention communications materials.

That single message reminded me that our impact isn’t defined by an organization or a title. It’s defined by competence, consistency, and a commitment to the people we serve.

And then came something I could never have predicted: Root to Rise.

Becoming part of this new global health nonprofit has been the brightest light in a challenging year, giving me space to keep doing the work I love.

With resources and institutional backing from Root to Rise, I have been able to continue offering technical assistance to the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) to prepare for the rollout of Lenacapavir for HIV prevention (LEN) in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2026.

Through this partnership, I’ve been able to support the government and other stakeholders to:

• Update national policy documents and strategies, including the national PrEP implementation plan, pilot protocol and demand generation strategy, to include LEN

• Conduct national target setting for LEN

• Conduct readiness assessments across PrEP delivery sites to identify site-level needs for LEN introduction

• Update community materials to increase literacy and awareness of LEN

This work has been one of the most grounding and purpose-filled parts of my year, a reminder that even in transition, our countries still need us.

Where We Go From Here

When funding stopped, new HIV acquisitions didn’t pause; rather, interruptions in access to PrEP increased vulnerability to HIV. That reality must guide us moving forward.

We must continue supporting our governments to deliver HIV prevention options; to truly prioritize PrEP choice, and ensure the newest PrEP option – LEN – is introduced intentionally, equitably, and with dignity for the people who need it most.

If 2025 taught me anything, it’s this: Transitions can shake the ground beneath our feet, but they also reveal what cannot be taken away – purpose, community, and the quiet determination to keep going.

And with the right people beside us, we don’t just rebuild. We become rooted in partnerships and rise together.