Global Health Solutions with Local Relevance
Matahari is a global health research and policy group working on integrating Global South expertise in global health initiatives.
What we do
The Team behind Matahari
We are a team of experts across the global health world, working to deliver sustainable global health solutions informed and led with Global South expertise.
Our diverse and multilingual team works closely together to bring local relevance to complex global health conundrums – creating visibility, long-term impact, and value to our clients.

Dr Fifa Rahman
Principal Consultant

Charles Ebikeme
Associate Consultant: Health Systems

Gisa Dang
Associate Consultant: Health and Human Rights

Dr Pedro Villardi
Associate Consultant: Public Health and Intellectual Property - Brazil

Dr Claudia Stoicescu
Technical Advisor: Harm Reduction

Sam Acellam
Associate Consultant: Health Data Analytics
Our Clients and Partners
Our Projects
A few of our recent projects
Assessing feasibility of interventions to tackle gender-based violence in Eastern Cape, South Africa
- August 2023
- Eastern Cape is known for having the highest GBV rate in the country at double the national rate. These statistics exist in a complex societal fabric and norms, including that 41.7% of children in the Eastern Cape live with only their mothers, that there is widespread poverty and poor public infrastructure, and that gendered norms are inculcated through unregulated traditional practices and rituals, among other factors. We undertook a Feasibility Study to rightsize and focus interventions for GBV prevention in adolescents for a BMZ proposal, interviewing government officials, parents and caregivers, children, and traditional leaders.
Understanding barriers to diagnostics access in Madagascar
- July 2023
- Communities in Madagascar face numerous barriers in accessing diagnostics services. Working with communities there, we anecdotally learned of these barriers, including high costs of diagnostics, communities needing to travel far to access testing facilities, and poor communication of results and follow-up of patients. In an effort to document these realities, we embarked on a rapid diagnostics assessment exercise, interviewing 43 individuals (including 4 health care workers) living in rural and semi-rural communities in Madagascar.
Increasing access to COVID-19 and MPOX diagnostics
- February 2023
- We supported the People's Vaccine Alliance to research accessibility and affordability for COVID-19 and MPOX diagnostics, drawing upon the expertise of major experts and stakeholders to define recommendations for equitable access to diagnostics. The report recommends, inter alia, that countries should reduce dependence on proprietary platforms, that they should spearhead country-led multi-year diagnostics strategies, and increase funding for regional and local manufacturing of diagnostics and relevant components.
Stay up to date with the latest from Twitter
@MatahariGlobal
A good example that the #righttoscience and #righttohealth tenets of Availability, Affordability, Acceptability, and Quality remain crucial. #AAAQ must be a guideline for assessing healthcare provision, including for #diagnostics.
We were delighted to support Matahari with this important report, together with our partners Ankizy Gasy - funded by @FINDdx 🙏
The communities we support lack access to the most basic of diagnostic testing - leading to poor outcomes and AMR.
Read more 👇
Insights
Our latest posts
- Photo credit: Freepik
A iniciativa “Diversidade Racial na Saúde Global” anuncia aprovação de pesquisa por conselho de ética
- July 2021
- Photo credit: Freepik
Racial Diversity in Global Health Initiative Announces Advisory Committee
- May 2021
- Photo credit: Freepik
The Compulsory Licence Debate Moves Forward in Brazil
- May 2021