Victor Barnes’ path to global health took shape through experience, unexpected challenges, and a strong drive to create change. As a Foreign Service Officer with USAID, he started his career in the field of education in Sub-Saharan Africa. But a turning point came just a few years in, when he was asked to serve as the first project officer for a new division within USAID’s Global Health Bureau. The Bureau was launching its HIV/AIDS program—a crisis that, at the time, was still largely misunderstood and shrouded in stigma.

“This shifted my focus entirely towards public health, healthcare infrastructure, and service delivery,” Victor recalls. “One of the most influential experiences for me was working with communities facing a pandemic without access to medical treatments or preventive tools—relying solely on behavioral change to slow the spread of HIV.”

For the next 12 years at USAID, Victor worked extensively on these issues before transitioning to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he helped expand its international portfolio and later developed its domestic initiatives. From there, his work took him across continents and institutions. He spent six months in Geneva helping to establish UNAIDS, then worked at the Corporate Council on Africa, where he helped facilitate U.S. business investments in African healthcare infrastructure, and at AIDS United funding domestic community-based HIV/AIDS interventions and policy initiatives.

“Following that, I joined Rotary International, where I spent 10 years as Director of Programs and Grants. In this role, I oversaw programs in the Rotary Secretariat, suppoting Rotary clubs worldwide, and at The Rotary Foundation, managing the global grants portfolio, our Peace Centers and the expansion of Rotarian investment opportunities. My focus was on strengthening grant programs and helping Rotarians develop larger-scale, sustainable initiatives that could attract external funding,” he shared.

It was through this work that he became deeply engaged with Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA), an organization he had long admired. “I had known Marion Bunch, RFHA’s founder, for a long time,” he says. “Her dedication to this cause, rooted in her personal experience of losing her son to HIV, was truly inspiring. Given my background in HIV/AIDS and public health, it was a natural fit.”

When invited to join the RFHA board, he accepted without hesitation. His focus has been on securing sustainable resources and forging public-private partnerships to expand RFHA’s reach and impact.

Gender Intentional Healthcare

Throughout his career, Victor spent significant time living and working in Africa. His earliest experience was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer. “That was my first experience of being completely immersed in a different culture—a village where I was the one of the two white volunteers living in an African community, speaking a different language and adapting to a completely ew way of life,” he reflects. “That experience of feeling like ‘the other’ gave me a profound perspective that shaped my approach to public health and community engagement.”

This immersion gave him a unique understanding of the structural and cultural barriers people face in accessing healthcare. “Health-seeking behavior is shaped by multiple factors - cultural perceptions of disease, gender roles in society, and even structural barriers that prevent people from accessing care,” he explains. This perspective has shaped RFHA’s new gender-intentional approach, funded by the Gates Foundation, which aims to ensure that healthcare delivery is accessible and equitable for all.

“I am personally very excited about RFHA’s gender-intentional approach. It’s a powerful addition to the work we are already doing, and it has the potential to significantly enhance our impact. This perspective will make RFHDs even more inclusive, effective, and sustainable. While this initiative is gender-intentional, at its core, it’s about understanding the broader obstacles to healthcare within a community and finding ways to address them effectively.

“It all comes back to behavior change—how do you encourage people to seek healthcare, and what kind of environment do you need to create for them to feel safe, supported, and trusting of the system?” Victor asks. “By understanding these dynamics at a community level, we can shape our approach to present healthcare opportunities in a way that makes people feel seen, heard, and supported.”

The Power of Partnerships in Strengthening Healthcare

For Victor, RFHA’s greatest strength lies in its ability to act as a catalyst. “Despite being a relatively small organization, RFHA operates on the frontlines of healthcare in underserved communities, engaging Rotarians, aligning with Ministries of Health, private sector partners, and other NGOs. This creates a powerful ecosystem where RFHA influences a broader, more substantial healthcare response.”

Partnerships have been a critical resource of  RFHA’s work, and Victor sees them as the key to RFHA’s long-term sustainability. “Securing consistent funding is crucial,” he says. “The Rotary International global grant model, while valuable, is limited in scale and can be complex for Rotarians to execute. To sustain and expand our programs, we need additional resources beyond this mechanism.”

Beyond financial support, he sees immense potential in leveraging private-sector investment to strengthen healthcare infrastructure. He points to RFHA’s developing partnership with ABF Sugar as an example. “Their interest is not just in providing healthcare to their workers but also in improving health outcomes in surrounding communities. This strengthens their relationship with the local population, positioning them as both an employer and a socially responsible entity.” 

“Our work with the Gates Foundation has opened doors to multiple funding streams, and I see this as an opportunity to attract additional foundations and grants that complement our mission. But the priority must always be to strengthen and expand RFHA’s healthcare initiatives, rather than diverting focus solely to securing financial support,” he highlights.

Looking ahead, Victor envisions RFHA expanding its presence beyond Africa. “We have already taken initial steps in India, and I would love to see RFHA establish a sustainable presence there. India is a complex but resource-rich environment, offering both human capital and financial investment opportunities, along with substantial Rotarian engagement opportunity.”

Growth, however, comes with challenges. “Expansion requires a stronger administrative and operational infrastructure, which in turn demands greater resources,” he acknowledges. “It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, but with the right partnerships and strategic focus, I believe RFHA’s expansion is entirely achievable.”

Victor Barnes’ journey has been one of transformation—both for himself and for the communities he has served. From education to public health, from HIV/AIDS intervention to large-scale grant-making, he has dedicated his career to building sustainable solutions that empower people to live healthier lives. And through RFHA, his work continues, ensuring that healthcare is not a privilege, but a fundamental right for all.