ACTIVISTS COALITION ON TB IN PAKISTAN (ACT! PK)

Community systems, responses and meaningful community engagement are essential to ending HIV, TB and Malaria epidemics. Community-led and community-based organizations provide accessible, appropriate, person-centered services tailored to the needs of respective communities. However, grassroots Community-led and community-based organizations often experience challenges with their systems and capacities, which can affect their ability to represent their respective communities, secure funding, manage grants, and implement and monitor programs effectively.

Pakistan is a high TB burden country; Pakistan has adopted a detect and treat TB strategy and endorses the use of TB preventive therapy (TPT) for high-risk groups including those infected with HIV to halt incidence of TB in the country. Pakistan is falling behind in its targets in ending TB. This necessitates empowered and meaningful engagement of TB communities in TB response at all levels.

Unfortunately, TB Community activism in Pakistan is minimal and APLHIV in collaboration with its partners has been working to provide a base to launch the TB community activism. 15 TB CSGs were established and capacitated, which resulted in the 1st ever meaningful engagement of TB communities in the consultative process for GC 7.

Taking the initiative forward, a fresh round of capacity building of TB Communities on Global Fund, its structures, roles/responsibilities, financing mechanism, Funding Model and processes is being conducted, with an objective to ensure meaningful engagement of TB Communities in ongoing GF related processes.

This work was officially launched in November 2024 with the name “Activists Coalition on TB in Pakistan (ACT! PK)”.

Mission

Capacitate and empower people living with and affected by TB and associated key populations/communities and to develop skilled and empowered leaders for better TB response at national level.

Vision

ACT! PK envisions a platform where people infected and affected by TB and associated communities/key populations are capacitated and empowered to exercise their rights for healthy, dignified, and respectful lives, and are leaders in addressing their issues tailored to their needs and rights.

Goal

ACT! PK envisions a goal where people living with TB and associated communities/Key Populations are well capacitated and trained to ensure their meaningful participation/engagement in TB response.

Objectives

  1. Understanding the Global Fund structure, functioning, processes and CCM at country level.
  2. Capacity building on effective and meaningful community engagement in TB response.
  3. Promoting community activism for the effective role of TB communities in TB response.
  4. Ensuring TB community engagement in Global Fund and national processes at provincial and national level.
  5. Engagement of TB Communities in TB response.
  6. To strengthen ACT! PK to seek political, social and public support to end TB aligned with the National TB Strategic Plan.