Martin-Mary Falana is based in Nigeria where he is a strong global health advocate. Martin Mary is knowledgeable in a wide range of areas including reproductive health and sexual rights, education, gender and child survival. His experience as a facilitator and trainer has led him to travel across the globe to participate in conferences to represent marginalized communities and undertake work with various organizations.
As an activist, Martin-Mary has advocated on behalf of children and young people, particularly in regards to adolescent reproductive health and sexual rights. He also fought for the provision of youth-friendly healthcare services for young people in Ondo State. Martin-Mary has also written against the passage of the bill prohibiting same sex marriage in Nigeria by the National Assembly and as a member of the National Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention and Care Committee he contributed to the support of comprehensive education on sexuality for young people in secondary schools in Nigeria.
Martin-Mary has served as a consultant for capacity development and project management for various civil society networks in Sub-Saharan Africa on malaria, AIDS and TB issues. He is one of the leading TB/HIV activists in Nigeria applying his knowledge to implement change at various levels including, facilitating the key affected population consultation process for the development of the Nigeria concept note to the Global Fund; and training Nigerian civil society organization members working on malaria, immunization and nutrition to improve their capacity and skills in project management.
He is a member of several organizations including, the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), Civil Society for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, and the Global Coalition of TB Advocates. Martin-Mary is presently working with AIDS Accountability International (AAI) in Nigeria to monitor the Global Fund CCM in Nigeria to ensure the effective representation and participation of key affected populations in Global Fund processes. Martin-Mary gained a deeper understanding of Global Fund processes when he participated in the W4GF Africa capacity building workshop on Gender and the Global Fund held in Cape Town, South Africa in December 2013. Martin-Mary is a strong communicator and enjoys using his leadership skills to motivate more people to be involved in decision making processes that affect their lives.
Martin-Mary most recently worked for ASAP as a local researcher to assess the country situation and response to gender-based violence and gender equality linked to HIV in Nigeria.
I have always wanted a situation where the government will see civil society organizations as complementary partners rather than competitors. Collective responsibility is the key to sustainable development that is culture sensitive and gender inclusive.