Leonard is a Freelance Journalist, activist on HIV/AIDS and MDGs, an Oxfam International Youth Parliament Action Partner. He is the founder of the Teenage Life Programme (TELIP), the project based in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where he is living, and the projects deals with HIV/AIDS, culture, Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) as well using the media in giving the information to the society.
The project also deals on warning the youth on problems that are facing them such as prostitution, rape, drug abuse, drunkenness and robbery, factors playing a significant role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania and his message went even now global.
Leonard or as others call him Lenny! has done well as an dynamic young leader for young people in his country and in international level. His commitment on war against HIV/AIDS and promoting MDGs has seen him expend his potential beyond his borders and trot around the globe in what seems to be fast evolving into a career in development advocacy in a wide range.
He is always busy men for others searching for change as you can see in 2003 participated at the World Youth Congress in Casablanca, Morocco, as a delegate and as a Journalist and a key writer for the post congress, he was selected to join the editorial team for the Congress outcomes publications. He participated on the team produced the post-Congress report, which covered all about MDGs and youth participation namely (Target 2015). It is a UN document for young people for young who are the young of United Nations.
Leonard attended the Student of Sustainability 2004 International Conference in Melbourne city at Latrobe University in Australia and the Oxfam International Youth Parliament 2004 in Sydney and he addressed the parliament on one of joint sitting sessions. International Youth Conference on Humanism held in Kampala Uganda where he conducted some workshops on HIV/AIDS.
Also the year 2005 was the bright one for him going out of the world by attending the “Political Strategies for Youth Organizations Seminar 2005 in Saarbrucken from June to July, Germany and learn how the politics involves also in one way or another within organizations. He made a France’s Study Tour trip in Metz city and Verdun town on historical sites and Peace’s value 2005, He visited the Karlsruhe city in Germany in project visit cooperation with the invitation of World Youth Citizens and learn what they are doing for social change over there and get opportunity to visit various youth organizations. Leonard attended “One World” Student Days 2005 in Karlsruhe, Germany as the guest speaker to address about HIV/AIDS and MDGs.
Leonard attended many numbers of the local meetings also and all kind of occasions within in Tanzania. He went almost allover Tanzania to address on HIV/AIDS and MDGs.
As the member of the International Youth Parliament which included over 300 dynamic young people from all over the world, he have done a lot by visiting the his country in various regions to take with young people through giving the feedbacks of the parliament, talking on his action plans, making research on HIV/AIDS progress and so on. He always saying Oxfam-IYP inspired a lot on his work and is proud being a young parliamentarian member, and share knowledge and best practices with fellow young people on how the youth could best position themselves with regards to the global development issues for making better world to live.
In the year 2002 Leonard involved in preparing the International students Week in Tanzania, and students from over 60 countries allover the world attended. Leonard presented a paper at the University of Dar Es Salaam on the HIV and AIDS situation in the country. In 2003 inspired the meber of Tanzanian parliaments when he addressed the Tanzanian Parliament through its AIDS Coalition Committee (TAPAC) in Dodoma, Tanzania on new strategies regarding the youth in combating HIV and AIDS.He done it few days before going to Casablanca Morocco.
This young men has recorded two songs at the moment about “MDGs” and “Heshima”-talks about the value of respect (heshima) for social change in this lovely and complicated world.
Leonard done numbers of research, and in 2002 he done on "The Impact of Mass Media in Combating HIV and AIDS in Youth in Botswana compared to Tanzania” as well as the video documentary with the same title. It got a great publicity on TV in Tanzania. He continued with the research and recently he made another “video documentary on HIV/AIDS and its Impact to Tanzanian Young People”. Currently, he is an consultant and research assistant on skin breaching research in Tanzania inducting with Dr.Kelly Lewis a lecture from Emory University in the US.
Leonard is preparing the “Tanzania AIDS Fighters Award" (TAFA) festival this year, which would be aimed at honoring individuals in Tanzania and perhaps, elsewhere who would have shown a high degree of interest in combating HIV/AIDS. He is searching for fund to make this event possible by December 1st, which is World AIDS Day. He will conduct a workshop on the following day which will involves the winners and journalists and observers.
Leonard also is fighting to get material and financial support to make possible the “Mobile Youth Container Bus Centre” in Tanzania which is the project is raising the awareness of youth, by providing them with a movable services includes a library, internet café, kiosk and an office for consultation and small meetings. This bus will be mobile from one place to another, providing access to many youth who will finally get the opportunity to have important information, which they do not currently have access to in rural and urban areas.
All these projects needs funds and it makes Leonard to feel hard in that mechanism making his projects possible. So he is appearing for organizations, individual people and institutions to help him to make possible most of many dreams he have for social change.
Feel free to contact Leonard directly at bonnylenny@yahoo.com, phone +255 744 805226, website www.teenagelife.4t.com , and he will be so happy to hear from any one interested with his work for social change.
« return.