Nachela Chelwa

Nachela Chelwa is a dedicated public health advocate and implementation science expert with over 15 years of experience designing, managing, and evaluating large-scale health and development programs in Zambia. As the Acting Country Representative at the Population Council, she leads initiatives that bridge research, policy, and practice to improve adolescent and youth health outcomes. Her work focuses on innovative “one-stop-shop” clinics as integrated service delivery models to integrate HIV prevention, testing, and treatment with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, cancer screening, and gender-based violence (GBV) response programs. Her research highlights adolescents’ interconnected needs while prioritizing confidentiality, youth-friendly infrastructure, and provider training. Further, Chelwa has managed projects assessing barriers to SRH access, such as stigma, restrictive clinic policies, and legal ambiguities. In Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response, Chelwa piloted research to evaluate health facilities’ capacity to provide clinical care for sexual violence survivors in Zambia.

Chelwa has contributed to national strategies, including Zambia’s National Action Plan for GBV prevention, by mapping survivor-centered support services and advocating for integrated medical, legal, and psychosocial care. Her technical guidance informed the rollout of monitoring systems for over 600,000 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) under USAID’s STEPS-OVC program in Zambia. Earlier in her career, Chelwa analyzed under-five mortality trends in Zambian refugee camps, identifying malaria and respiratory infections as leading causes. Her findings emphasized community sensitization and health system collaboration to reduce child mortality.

Chelwa holds a master’s in public health from the University of Zambia.