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Description
The project proposes to address the issue of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV / AIDS in Romania in two directions: the development and consolidation of the STOP TB Romania network and increasing the capacity of citizens to get involved in public health policies regarding TB and HIV/AIDS. Together with 3 other non-governmental organizations, RAA Foundation established the STOP TB Romania Partnership following the model of STOP TB Partnership (http://www.stoptb.org/) - an international network that brings together all actors involved in projects in the field of TB, HIV and of public health (approx. 1500 partners from over 100 countries).
The STOP TB Romania partnership is an informal network that includes 11 organizations active in the fields of TB and HIV / AIDS, organizations working with affected people or groups most at risk of disease.
Through our project, we want to encourage the organizations involved in the fields of TB and HIV in Romania to coordinate their efforts much better and more effectively through the network by forming a community of patients and former patients interested in public health policies. The project will address two categories of beneficiaries: persons affected or at risk of infection with TB or HIV and members and future organizations within the STOP TB Romania network. The project activities include network development activities, conducting national advocacy campaigns in the field of TB and HIV, increasing the capacity of citizens, training and mentoring in order to involve them in consultations with decision makers at local or central level.
Regarding the added value within the Stop TB Romania network, it will be directed starting from the relevant experience both in working directly with patients / communities, but also with the authorities.
Summary of project results
Through the project ''''Civic Involvement for Better Community Health'''' the two organizations aimed to address the issue of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS in Romania in two directions of action: the development and organizational consolidation of the STOP TB Romania network and increasing the capacity of citizens to get involved in public health policies in the area of TB and HIV/AIDS. The RAA Foundation established the STOP TB Romania Partnership according to the STOP TB Partnership model (http://www.stoptb.org/). In Romania, the STOP TB Romania Partnership is an informal network that includes 11 organizations active in TB and HIV/AIDS. Through this project, the Promoter proposed that organizations involved in the fields of TB and HIV in Romania coordinate their efforts much better and more efficiently through the network and, at the same time, attract as many people affected or at risk of TB or HIV infection to the network, by forming a community of patients and former patients interested in public health policies.
To achieve the project objectives, within A3 - Development of the STOP TB Romania network - a strategic planning session of the Stop TB Romania Partnership was organized, and attended by 10 member organizations (16 people). The result of the meeting is a Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027 and a Chart for its implementation. At the end of the project, a new update and evaluation of the Plan was carried out by the members. Also within A3, a ''''Practical Guide to Involvement in Public Health Policies for Organizations and Citizens'''' was drafted, available here - https://tinyurl.com/ghidadvocacy. During the project, the Stop TB Partnership was joined by 5 new members - the Federation of Medical Student Associations of Romania (FASMR), ASPTMR Dolj, Samu Social, Baylor Marea Neagra Constanta, and Caravana cu Medici. Regular online meetings were organized with network members to discuss specific actions, depending on the interest of each organization, and to establish common advocacy strategies. Within A4 - Formation of the STOP TB community, a target group selection methodology was developed, people affected or at risk of TB were contacted to survey their interest in participating in the courses offered by the project, the courses were popularized and a questionnaire for the target group was published, including on the OneImpact Romania mobile phone application. During the weekend, 5 online training sessions in the field of advocacy for public health policies were conducted, with an average of 40 people from 11 counties participating. Within A5 - Citizen involvement in the decision-making process regarding public policies regarding the TB and HIV epidemic - and following the seminars conducted in A4, counseling and mentoring sessions were organized with the participants on the advocacy plans made by them and various actions were undertaken such as - monitoring local public meetings in the cities where they resided to identify topics of interest. To keep them active, the partners also held discussions within a WhatsApp group. Within A6 - National advocacy carried out by the STOP TB Romania Partnership to continue reforms in the field of TB and HIV - a General Advocacy Plan was developed that could be subsequently adapted to the problems identified at central or local level; problematic situations were monitored regarding the access of people affected by or at risk of TB and/or HIV to health services and treatment, including by monitoring the application of Law 302/2018 on tuberculosis control measures; 37 position papers/requests were submitted according to Law no. 544/2001, requests for organizing public debates and consultations. Also within the advocacy campaign, events were organized in 2002 and 2003 on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day - with the participation of specialists from the pneumophthisiology network as well as civil society organizations and journalists. Within A7 - IEC through e-learning modules - part of the process of informing, educating, and raising awareness of interested parties and affected communities, two e-learning modules were developed: Health Advocacy - Advocacy for Health and Public Health for All - modules with durations for completion by beneficiaries of two hours each (available here https://www.elearning.raa.ro/ro/projects/implicare-civica-pentru-o-sanatate-mai-buna-a-comunitatii/). The content was delivered by Dr. Marius Ungureanu, teacher and researcher in public health and health systems at the Department of Public Health of Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj. During the final period of the project, the promoter continued to inform the general public and specialists about this course, which led to about 295 people accessing the two courses.
The goal of the project was to increase civic engagement and the capacity for participation in decision-making among people affected by or at risk of TB and/or HIV through the STOP TB Romania Partnership, following the principle "Nothing for us without us." The partners began with the Strategic Planning session for the Stop TB Romania Partnership, which produced a 5-year Strategic Plan essential for future actions. At the same time, they attracted 5 new members to the partnership. They developed a Practical Guide for Involvement in Health Policy (https://bit.ly/ghid-advocacy), aimed at individuals and organizations wishing to actively participate in changing public health policies. Also, they published an online course on public health and advocacy (https://bit.ly/curs_sanatate_publica_advocacy), which nearly 300 people accessed within six months. The course will remain accessible online indefinitely. They organized five online training sessions for people affected by or at risk of tuberculosis and HIV, attended by 38 individuals, providing them with essential information on how they can be involved in decisions impacting community health. Together with these 38 advocates, they carried out targeted advocacy activities directed at local and central authorities to promote more effective public health policies. This effort helped increase participants’ confidence in their ability to influence decisions and brought community health to the authorities'' agenda. They marked World Tuberculosis Day with a broad awareness campaign, including online and offline events, such as the conference "Tuberculosis and Mental Health." The project’s impact is reflected in the engagement of the 38 advocates who gained useful skills and the tools necessary to influence decisions in their communities. The project also strengthened collaboration between organizations within the Stop TB Romania Partnership.