The feminist maxim “the personal is political” has informed Larissa’s decades-long human rights-focused career. Prior to joining ITPC she pioneered direct action advocacy initiatives to combat gender-based violence within South African universities and worked extensively in HIV policy and advocacy programmes across Southern Africa. She holds a degree in Politics and Sociology from Rhodes University and a post-graduate diploma in HIV Management from Stellenbosch University.
Larissa joined ITPC in 2020 to head up the Citizen Science Life Maps Project where she is using feminist-centred praxis paired with innovative digital story-telling to shape the methodology of the Life Maps Project. This approach amplifies the voices of community activists living with HIV, acknowledging them as experts in their own lives and empowering them to directly influence policy and drive change. Larissa is a systems-oriented thinker who embraces the use of technology to drive social change.
Based in Cape Town, South Africa
