New Central Asian NGO network for cross-border TB control
On June 6-7 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Central Asia met in a regional workshop in Almaty, Kazakhstan to create a network for tuberculosis (TB) control.
The event was organized by Project HOPE, the primary recipient of the GFATM grant, implementing a program addressing cross-border TB control among labor migrants in Kazakhstan. It provided a forum for NGOs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to discuss the involvement of local NGOs in the cross-border control of TB by creating an NGO Network on Migration and Tuberculosis in Central Asian Republics (CAR).
Keynote speakers addressed the audience: P. Dzhazybekova – Head of the Strategic Development, Epidemiology, Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the National Scientific Center of Phthisiopulmonology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, B. Babamuradov – Project Manager of the Global Fund project, Representative of Project HOPE in the Republic of Kazakhstan, S. Zhasymbekova – Senior Coordinator of the International Organization for Migration – United Nations Migration Agency, and others.
During the workshop, partners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shared their experiences of working with labor migrants. They also discussed the involvement of the non-governmental sector in the prevention and treatment of TB in CAR.
The participants discussed how the network will work, the specific steps needed for its creation, its structure, and its priority activities. The working groups have been very productive in drafting short-mid-term action plans. Active discussions sparked topics about decision-making mechanisms, admission and exit procedures, and the ethical code of the new network.
Finally, the participants adopted a draft memorandum on cooperation of non-profit organizations to reduce the TB incidence and morbidity among labor migrants in CAR.
“The meeting and the creation of such a document were necessitated by the need to consolidate NGOs to inform labor migrants about TB symptoms and the possibilities of free treatment and diagnosis within the GF project; to promote adherence to treatment; to exchange information and disseminate best practices in CAR,” stated B. Babamuradov – GF Project Manager, representative of Project HOPE in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Source: TB Europe Coalition