Open Dreams Aviva Team

Dr. Brenda Tanyi

Dr. Brenda Tanyi Tal is a Cameroonian medical doctor and an International Instructor of advanced life support in Obstetrics. She served the Ministry of Public Health Cameroon in clinical medicine and patient consultation within its urban and rural settings before heading out on a full scholarship to the United Kingdom to obtain an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine Degree from the University of OXFORD. She is very keen on research and innovative solutions for alleviating health conditions worldwide. She currently works in Public Health Management (Quality Assurance) with Abbott Pharmaceuticals, UK and as a Researcher and Speaker for the WHO / ITU (United Nations) Global Initiative on Artificial Intelligence for Health, in collaboration with the Global Health Policy Partnerships, University of Oxford.

Brenda’s drive to change the narrative in the health sector in her nation and beyond springs from witnessing the alarming rate of preventable causes of death to pregnancy, malnutrition and diseases while growing up in her country Cameroon. Like many other ambitious young Cameroonians with great dreams but limited access to quality higher educational opportunities, the Open Dreams Community served as a powerful weapon in equipping her with the necessary sets of skills for securing scholarships to quality education in highly ranked universities abroad.

In her strong zeal and passion to give back, she joined the Open Dreams team of mentors believing that it was possible to raise the great minds her nation requires to bring about the positive change the community dreams to see. She now serves as a member of the executive board of directors for Open Dreams where she hopes to contribute immensely to the internal growth, structure and programming of its great vision, as well as assist in internal and external operations that will amplify and thrive the organisation.

Open Dreams Aviva Team

Dr. Jacqueline Fonkwo

Dr. Jacqueline Fonkwo (aka Dr. Jackie) is a youth leader who embodies the spirit of resilience and determination. Born and raised in a remote community in the Northwest region of Cameroon, in her early years in secondary school, Dr. Jackie was greatly concerned by the long absence of a medical doctor in her community of more than 35,000 people.  At the age of 14, when in form 4, she made up her mind to study medicine in other to change this narrative in her community. 

To achieve this far-fetched dream of hers, Jackie’s only hope was to take her studies seriously. During summer holidays, she will engage in small businesses to raise funds to attend holiday classes. Her efforts quickly paid off as Jackie rose from an average student to the top three of her class. In 2010, Jackie’s dreams will come true when she eventually made it to the country’s top medical school. While in med school, during summer breaks, she will volunteer in a plethora of health campaigns. During this time, she traveled to many remote communities to offer health care services to populations that struggle to access health services. Even before she will graduate from med school, she had already secured her first admission at the Queen Mary University of London. 

In 2019, Dr. Jackie joined the OD family and immediately stood out in many ways as she embodied the OD spirit. In 2020, Dr. Jackie secured the MasterCard Foundation scholarship to study Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburg and a Commonwealth Scholarship to study an MSc in Global Health at Queen Margaret University, Edinburg. 

At OD, Dr. Jackie's drive, achievements, and leadership have been an inspiration to many OD scholars and pre-scholars. She has mentored and continues to mentor many OD pre-scholars. Although Dr. Jackie has a very fulfilled career, her excitement and willingness to mentor other young Cameroonians and Africans makes her a valued treasure at OD.  

Open Dreams Aviva Team

Dr. Gwanyama Noella

Growing up, I had a great passion to be a Medical Doctor. Getting into Medical School in Cameroon was a privilege for a few, especially in government medical schools, which were only three then. After my
first attempt, I did not get admission. I had to look for other options to attend private medical schools, but my parents could not afford the high fees. This frustrated me, and I later took up a course at the University. Fortunately, the government launched a new medical school a few months later, and I
succeeded in the competitive entrance examination.
Five years ago, as a Medical Doctor, I faced a pregnancy complication that almost took my life and that of my baby, but due to timely medical intervention, we were both saved. I tilted my focus to helping pregnant women, especially those in marginalized communities, have equal and early access to quality healthcare throughout their pregnancies to ensure optimal health for both the mother and baby.
Through this, I founded Talk Pregnancy with Dr Noella (TPWDN). We have made a mark both in our community and through all social media platforms.
After receiving the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship Award in 2023, during which I studied Leadership and Civic Engagement at the University of Delaware in the United States, this boosted my self-confidence and provided me with more advanced knowledge on community engagement and on leadership. At Open Dreams, as the coordinator of the Aviva Women in Science Fund (AWSF), which
seeks to promote community action (research, education, support) in maternal & neonatal health related issues to improve on survival and wellbeing, I have actively participated right from the beginning
of the program. I was privileged to be the first recipient of the Aviva Women in Science Fund Community Grants. This significantly impacted the lives of over 200 pregnant women in the North West
Region of Cameroon, thus promoting good health for mothers and newborns in rural communities.
I am devoted to mentoring youths on the importance of community engagement and volunteering because blending these skills with quality education makes someone a great leader. I am also devoted to actively participating in the yearly celebration of the fascinating Open Dream event, the Aviva Day, in December.

Open Dreams Aviva Team

Dr. Larissa Simo

I am a Physician who is passionate about cardiovascular diseases. After succeeding the competitive entrance exam into medicine school, I studied Clinical medicine at the Faculty of Health Science in the University of Bamenda. I went on to serve a rural community of Cameroon as a Physician for over 4 years. While I was here, I realised this was not enough, receiving patients on an individual basis to cure their diseases was not all that there was. I felt I could do more and be more, have greater impact. My goal is to contribute to reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases in Cameroon and sub-Saharan Africa, by conducting high quality research specific to our context, which will guide policy makers to implement locally proven evidence based policies and guidelines  to fight these diseases and not just adapt guidelines created from the west to our context.
After discussing these goals with a mentor, I was advised to join the Open Dreams Community in a bit to see and learn about the diverse multitude of opportunities I could have to be what I really wanted to be. I joined the Open Dreams team in 2019 and learned about scholarship opportunities to further my studies and get more expertise for wider impact. Three years later, after being mentored by several Open Dreams Scholars, I was able to secure several scholarships and decided to go to London. I have leveraged on this experience to mentor several other potential scholars with most of them currently pursuing their dreams.
I graduated from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London with an MSc in Epidemiology. I hope aim to continue working towards my goal while continuing Clinical practice. Open Dreams for me has not only been a platform with a plethora of opportunities, But it has also been a platform for networking, self-empowerment and mentoring.