THE GRADUATION ADDRESS 2025 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENT
Ms Safaa Garelnabi is a passionate public health specialist and social entrepreneur working to improve the lives of adolescents in underserved communities across Uganda. With a strong foundation in science and global health, Ms Garelnabia’ s career blends academic excellence, grassroots experience, and bold leadership in tackling some of the most pressing issues facing young people today.
Ms Garelnabi holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Monash University Malaysia, where her interest in health systems and equity first began to take shape. This growing passion led her to pursue a Master of Science in Nutrition for Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Together, these academic milestones laid the foundation for a career rooted in evidence, compassion, and innovation.
For over eight years, Ms Garelnabi has worked with government and non-government organisations to manage and implement sexual and reproductive health and rights( SRHR) programs. Her work often took her into remote and rural areas, where she lived and integrated closely with the communities she served. These experiences not only deepened her understanding of local health challenges but also revealed an urgent need to empower adolescents and equip community stakeholders with the tools to make lasting change.
In 2023, Ms Garelnabi co-founded Hope Springs Health Foundation Uganda( HSH), a non-profit organisation dedicated to revolutionising Ugandan healthcare through community-powered services. HSH’ s work combines digital tools, peer education, and community-based outreach to reach adolescents with accurate, timely, and culturally sensitive health information. In its first year, the organisation reached over 1000 young people. Today, it continues to grow as a trusted, youth-centred resource in Uganda.
Ms Garelnabi’ s leadership has been instrumental in scaling HSH’ s programs. Alongside her team, she has raised over $ 65,000 in competitive grants, supporting innovations like MUWALA, an AI-powered tool that predicts adolescent pregnancy risk to enable early intervention. She is an alumna of both the Global Health Corps Fellowship and the International Strategy Forum, and her coalition-building work through these platforms helped shape her vision for HSH.
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