Based in Kigali, Rwanda, Abatoni Fortunate serves as a Psychosocial Care Senior Officer at the Rwanda Biomedical Center. In this role, she collaborates with community health workers and providers to deliver psychosocial support that helps people living with HIV overcome stigma and treatment adherence challenges. Her work fosters a supportive environment that empowers individuals to seek care, remain in treatment, and live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Abatoni draws on diverse experiences to inform her approach to care. She is especially proud of her internship at Canopy of Hope Treatment Center in Kenya, where she provided psychological support for individuals recovering from substance use disorders. There, she facilitated individual and group counseling sessions, supported patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and used personality assessments to guide treatment. This experience strengthened her skills in client-centered care and reinforced her commitment to addressing health inequities through compassionate, evidence-informed interventions.

At Rwanda Biomedical Center, Abatoni is particularly excited about the adolescent care model currently being implemented. The initiative integrates psychosocial support, peer mentorship, and flexible service delivery to make HIV services more responsive to young people’s unique needs. By creating safe and adolescent-friendly spaces, the model not only improves health outcomes but also builds confidence, resilience, and hope among young people—a group too often left behind in the HIV response.

Grounded in the belief that health equity means ensuring dignified, quality care for every person, Abatoni is committed to dismantling stigma and systemic barriers that prevent communities from thriving. Her leadership is inspired by the words of Harold S. Geneen: “Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”