From Loss to Purpose My background Story Enky Mhlongo, MPH Founder & CEO, Ubuntu Health Foundation Hello! My name is Enky Mhlongo and I go by Ingiphile(which means God's gift in Siswati). I was born and raised in a small, rural township in South Africa called Kamhlushwa, Mpumalanga. My province has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world and growing up I saw firsthand how deeply it affected the lives of young girls, families, and entire communities. But I didn't just witness it, I lived it. At just ten years old, I lost both my mother and my aunt to HIV within weeks of each other. The months that followed were a blur. December 2008 throughout 2009 felt like a dark void I can barely recall. My family went from being excited about my mother9s graduation from nursing school to suddenly replaced by grief and survival. I watched my grandmother wake up six days a week to travel into town, hoping to sell handmade school bags just so we could have something to eat. As a child, I carried a burden no child should have to bear, one shaped by stigma, silence, and limited access to education or healthcare. But that pain gave me purpose. I was selected to join Imagine Scholar, an opportunity that changed my life and led to a full-ride scholarship through the Mastercard Foundation. I earned a Bachelor9s degree in Biochemistry from Westminster College and later, a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Illinois. These achievements weren9t just for me but they were for every girl in my hometown who believed that dreams like these were beyond their reach. After years of leading HIV prevention research and working with international public health experts, I took a leap of purpose. I founded Ubuntu Health Foundation, a nonprofit committed to reducing HIV and gender-based vulnerability in South Africa. Visit our website to learn more about how we plan to achieve our mission and ways you can pledge your support. Join us as we empower young people to make safer sexual health choices because when youth are equipped with knowledge, support, and dignity, they lead the change. Join us as we build a future where every young person can make safer, healthier choices Pivotal Moments that Shaped Me 2008-Lost my mother and aunt to HIV 2013-Imagine Scholar 2017-Full ride Mastercard Foundation Scholarship 2021-BA in Biochemistry, Westminster College 2022-Masters in Public Health Epidemiology, University of Illinois 2023-Infectious disease researcher, IMARA-SA Desmond Tutu Health Foundation 2024-Founded UHF Support my mission