By Michal Bruck, CEO of NALA
‘Long Walk to Freedom’ inspired me in a way that no other autobiography I read before or after ever did.
In the last few years, living in a mixed Palestinian-Israeli community in Jaffa, and working in Africa, I sought to find such role models that are not afraid to see the human beings on both sides, and show through actions that strength is about forgiveness, acknowledgement, and giving.
This is why I became extremely emotional last month when I was invited to present NALA’s work to Zamaswazi (Swati) Dlamini-Mandela and Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway, granddaughters of Nelson Mandela, two women who are role models in their own right.
Mandela believed that health is a basic human right. After losing his son to HIV, he broke a global silence, naming the disease, demanding accountability, and helping shift the stigma that prevented so many from seeking care. In doing so, he reframed the conversation on health equity for generations to come.
His granddaughters carry that spirit with them. They are active voices for women’s rights and bring creative thinking into spaces where it is most needed. Their approach is grounded in lived experience, and in using human-centered design, storytelling, and systems thinking to drive change. It felt familiar, and deeply aligned with how we work at NALA.
This meeting reaffirmed the power of listening, of building connection, and of showing up with courage. Being part of NALA for over a decade, I have worked in communities where 9 out of 10 children suffer from these diseases. Witnessing how these communities harness their own resilience to build a healthy future, I can clearly see the straight line that connects positive, inspiring leadership to people’s everyday lives and to healthy, prosperous communities
I left this meeting inspired, and more committed than ever to keep advancing that vision.