New advocacy projects launched in Ukraine’s regions
Non-governmentalorganizations- winners of the competitionwithinStopTBinUkraine program, announcedinthesummer by CF "IntellectualPerspective", startedadvocacy activities in Ukraine’s regions.
Each of the projects was planning its activitiesbased on the actual needs of the specific region, and uses intersectoral approachto the maximum involving a wide range of partners in problem-solving activities. Moreover, each project sets itself pretty clear tasks, whose performance will demonstrate the public, the authorities, the media that only joint efforts will help to improve the situation with fighting the disease.
Rovno
Rovno branch of All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization "All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH" plans to intensify cooperation of the TB network with primary care system. A number of seminars and information meetings will not only allow doctors to update their knowledge about the epidemic and region’s plans to address it. The monitoring conducted in the course of work will form the basis for recommendations to managers on the most pressing problems of communication in the regional health care system.
Lvov
The project of Lvov Regional Centre of the League of Social Workers of Ukraine aims at involving the social workers in activities to fight the epidemic. It is they who daily work with people in difficult life situation: a group that has a significant risk of disease and the treatment interruption at outpatient stage. TB epidemic topic is a fresh one for social workers, and they need both to be provided with relevant information, and build up a system of communication with TB specialists, particularly, at district level.
Ternopol
The project of "Centre for Spiritual and Sociological Support "Dzherela" aims at bringing to the discussion of the regional authorities the problems faced by the centre’s customers, who need help in difficult life situation. Monitoring and systemic analysis of the barriers faced by groups, most vulnerable to tuberculosis treatment interruption, will enable to develop specific proposals for regional authorities to improve the situation.
Ivano-Frankovsk
The project of CF "Charity Christian Foundation "Solidarity" aims at identifying the priorities for inter-sector partnership both at the regional level and in 5 largest towns of the region. One of the region’s largest public organizations draws the decision-makers’ attention by lobbying for the most relevant and realistic solutions necessary for the region rather than by the general issues.
Lutsk
Volyn Regional Public Organization "Impulse" focuses its project on primary care physicians in order to strengthen the health system capacity in fighting the tuberculosis at the local level. Ambitious goal is the introduction of regular outreach activities for general health care system workers in the systemic practice of Volyn Region Health Department. The project shall result in improving the general health care system workers’ professional level in TB detection.
Kirovohrad
The ambitious project of the CO "Open Heart" is intended not only to create a platform for inter-sectoral cooperation with a realistic annual action plan for stakeholders. The organization’s team plans to involve the patients — tuberculosis survivors — both into work on solution development and awareness-raising campaign.
Cherkassy
Cherkassy Charitable Organization of People who Live with HIV "Heart to Heart" has an ambitious goal - to increase funding of the regional TB service’s needs from the local budgets. A number of round tables for the public and the decision of the Regional Coordinating Council, whose proposals will be submitted to the parliamentary commissions, will be used as an instrument of influence. Consequently, theincreaseinfunding of CherkasyRegionalTuberculosisDispensary from 2013 regionalbudgetwillbeinitiated.
Poltava
Charitable Association for HIV-infected and AIDS Patients "Light of Hope" focuses its project on addressing the problems with the vulnerable groups’ access to TB detection and treatment services. The goal will be achieved through the development of a clear algorithm for execution of the order “On Approval of the Procedure for Interaction between Penal Facilities and Social Support Entities in Preparation for Release of Inmates”, and increased influence of the Coordinating Council on Combating TB, HIV-infection/AIDS at Poltava Regional State Administration in terms of creating favourable conditions for socially vulnerable groups’ access to diagnostics and treatment.
Luhansk
Charity League "Socium" project aims at developing the algorithms for efficient advocacy interaction of all stakeholders in counteracting the TB spread among one of the untapped risk groups in the region. It is about the TB infection control among persons in detention facilities. The project will be implemented in close cooperation with the regional authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who were its co-initiators. Oneoftheimportantprojectcomponentsispersonal, social and health education.
The main objective of the Luhansk Charitable Foundation ANTIAIDS project is to reduce the number of TB treatment interruptions of the released prisoners in Luhansk region. The work will be focused on a number of advocacy measures to approve the mechanisms for implementation and monitoring of execution of the order on their "bringing" to tuberculosis facilities in order to continue the treatment. The problem is particularly topical for the region, given the number of penitentiary facilities, and a high percentage of prisoners from other regions.
Donetsk
"Club "Future" charitable organizationwill focus on introduction of an efficient system of tuberculosis screening coverage in Mariupol, Donetsk region. The priorities of the activities include: improvement of existing and development of new mechanisms for interagency cooperation to bring certain categories of Mariupol citizens to the examination; formulation of decisions to be approved at the local level, on additional measures for TB prevention in Mariupol.
The priority of Donetsk Regional Charitable Foundation "Center for Social Development "The Bridge" project is to mobilize political will and raise the awareness of the local government, rural communities for supporting the fight against tuberculosis epidemic in Volodarsk, Yasinovata and Pervomaisk districts of Donetsk region. The project suggests the increased attention of the district leaders to the work of primary care physicians in the fight against TB; public awareness-raising and reduction of TB patients’ discrimination stigma by the society in the target districts of the region by means of "live" library.
Dneprodzerzhinsk
"Say NO to TB!" project introduced by CF "Impulse" aims at increasing the accessibility to the TB diagnostics for Dneprodzerzhinsk risk group representatives. Another component of the project is joining the "Local Interaction Protocol" by the Interior Ministry bodies and penitentiary service in order to reduce the number of treatment interruptions and refusals, and to involve the released persons into the project. The third educational component of the project will be a number of extra-curricular activities on TB prevention in the secondary schools of the town.
Kherson
Kherson City Public Organization "Anastasis" will mobilize the region’s religious communities for tuberculosis prevention and motivation for continuing treatment of the rural population and the released persons. It involves training of 75 priests and members of religious and public organizations of the rural areas (including those who work in penitentiary facilities) to raise their awareness of tuberculosis features as a social disease. Moreover, 179 parishes in Kherson diocese of UOC will distribute the materials on the TB prevention on the church stands. Tocoordinatework withtheauthoritiesandincreasedimpactoftheprojecttheclergywillbeintroduced to7districtandtowncoordinationcouncilsforVІH/AIDSandTB(inthosedistrictswheretheclergyarenotincluded)
Simferopol
The project of the "Crimean Foundation "Our Hope" charitable organization is aimed at advocacy activities to find the funding source and organize the transportation of children affected by TB epidemic in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for their treatment and isolation from the areas affected by the epidemic. The project shall result in the development of intersectoral solutions involving the ARC key ministries and agencies for financing and organizing the effective work with children from so-called "maladjusted families" that are in the children's boarding facilities.
Sevastopol
Youth Public Organization called "Youth Centre for Women's Initiatives" in the framework of its project will work to ensure equal and total access of Sevastopol rural population to quality services on the TB prevention, detection and treatment. The project objectives include: to organize the effective interaction with local authorities (village and township councils) to unite efforts on effective measures to fight the TB epidemic. The work provides for the study of the local people’s and village communities’ awareness of tuberculosis as an infectious disease and its spread among the population.
The project "Advocacy: Mobilizing political will" aims to involve public organizations, the press and television, government institutions and local authorities, as well as other influential agencies in each Ukraine’s region in cooperation to stop the TB spread in Ukraine.
The project is implemented by the Foundation “Intellectual Perspective” in collaboration with the British The Thomson Foundation and the Institute for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
The project is financially supported by Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine in the framework of Stop TB in Ukraine Program supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
