The TB-Free India campaign hosted a two-day interactive workshop in April in New Delhi to empower cured tuberculosis (TB) patients to share their personal stories and experiences to advocate for better TB prevention, treatment and care in India.
The workshop, titled Community Voices on TB: A Training & Empowerment Initiative brought together a diverse group of 21 former TB patients of all ages and from different backgrounds, including people living with HIV, migrants, workers and professionals, to learn how to effectively use their personal experiences to help identify issues in TB care and call for change.
During the two-day event, participants learned about TB, including its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and difficulties in accessing care, as well as current challenges in fighting TB. Participants also received training in writing impactful testimonials and were coached in public speaking and presentation skills. The activities were facilitated by fellow TB survivors and activists, who shared their own personal stories and inspired participants to do the same
The TB-Free India campaign will continue to engage with participants in the workshop by involving them in the ongoing campaign, bringing their voices and stories to public platforms to call for increased funding and commitment to TB throughout India.
The meeting was jointly organised by The Union South-East Asia Office, with TB Alert, Global Coalition of TB Activists and Partnership for TB Care and Control.
TB-Free India is funded by Challenge TB, the flagship TB control programme of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The campaign is led by the Government of India and is implemented by The Union South-East Asia Office in New Delhi.