ICAP joins the Kingdom of Eswatini in mourning the loss of Ms. Rejoice Nkambule, Eswatini’s deputy minister of health, who died on May 18, 2026. The sudden loss of Ms. Rejoice, as she was widely known, shocked and saddened the global health community, including many ICAP colleagues in Eswatini and around the world.
Ms. Rejoice played an essential role in ensuring the implementation and success of the HIV response in Eswatini over decades. She championed the world’s first Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA), known as SHIMS1, which measured the progress toward HIV epidemic control in the country. It was thanks to her leadership in mustering local stakeholder support that the survey protocol was developed and approved and fieldwork activated all within a very rapid six-month period. Two more SHIMS surveys would follow and the PHIA project would go on to become the global gold standard for household population HIV surveys.
Ms. Rejoice was a pivotal partner to ICAP through years of collaboration to strengthen the health system of Eswatini and to support the country’s response to what, at one time, was the most severe HIV epidemic in the world, but is currently a success story in HIV programing.
Rejoice Nkambule (center) participates in a panel discussion with former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, Anthony Fauci, and ICAP global director, Wafaa El-Sadr at a symposium for ICAP’s 15th Anniversary Celebration at Columbia University’s Low Library on October 30, 2018
She avidly supported Eswatini’s participation in ECHO – Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcome – a study that led to updates in World Health Organization and country guidelines for family planning methods among with people with HIV.
As a member of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) advisory group, she supported Eswatini’s participation in the network, leading to creation of the Eswatini clinical research site (CRS) which has participated in a number of landmark research studies as HPTN 084, which demonstrated nine-fold superiority of injectable cabotegravir over oral Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This contributed to FDA registration of the drug Apretude and updates in WHO and national guidelines for PrEP
Ms. Rejoice played a key role in bringing Eswatini into the Gates Foundation funded HIV Coverage, Quality, Impact Network (CQUIN) as a founding member in 2016, helping shape the network’s identity, and endorsing Eswatini’s role in the network’s south-to-south learning exchange model. Her leadership was also instrumental in securing Eswatini as the host of a foundational CQUIN meeting on DSD Scale-Up in June 2018, a milestone gathering that helped advance the evidence and momentum for differentiated service delivery across the region.
Additionally, she led introduction of HPV vaccination in the country, including a recently published study on HPV immunogenicity among people living with HIV in Eswatini.
“Ms. Rejoice was the true definition of quiet strength. She set the highest quality standards for herself and other members of her team. Anyone working with her was expected to be punctual, well-organized, and efficient” said Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, MD, PhD, ICAP’s research director in Eswatini. “She was kind, thoughtful, respectful, and always found amicable solutions to even the most challenging conundrums. We have lost an invaluable mentor and champion, and we can only draw comfort from knowing that her legacy will prevail through those she touched, trained, led, and inspired.”
“Ms. Rejoice, was an exceptional woman, truly a giant,” said Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, founder and global director of ICAP. “She was so wise, so dignified, so strong, so caring, with such solid principles. We were privileged to work by her side over many years. We extend our condolences to her family and to all throughout Eswatini who will miss her.”
About ICAP
A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu
