4 July 2017 - Geneva, Switzerland - Responding to demand from communities and civil society, the Stop TB Partnership, in collaboration with community organizations and Dure Technologies from Switzerland have developed the first TB Community App for people with TB. The App empowers communities by helping them to collect, analyze, understand and communicate key information about the local TB response with regards to the availability and quality of services, barriers to accessing these services and inequalities. The information generated can then be reported by community actors to the local and national level TB program management units to contribute to improved quality and access to services.
Later this month in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, STOP TB Partnership Tajikistan (Challenge Facility for Civil Society grantee) in collaboration with the Republican Centre of Protection of Population from Tuberculosis will pilot the TB Community App in 10 districts in Tajikistan, after a workshop held in June to adapt it to country and program realities. Led and facilitated by TB communities, the workshop supported by the Stop TB Partnership, brought together over 40 people from STOP TB Partnership Tajikistan, representing support group networks of people affected by TB. Other representatives included people from the Republican Centre for Healthy Lifestyles under the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republican Centre of Protection of Population from Tuberculosis, USAID, KNCV, MSF, Project Hope, IOM and Red Crescent Society.
"This workshop was ours. We drove and informed the App adaptation process and with the support of the Republican Centre of Protection of Population from Tuberculosis we will pilot and hopefully take the project to scale," said Mr. Safar Naimov, STOP TB Partnership Tajikistan.
"We want to be self-reliant and so knowledge is key. By allowing us to develop and use an App, we can help ourselves and in turn help our country respond to TB more effectively" said a member of the STOP TB Partnership Patient Support Group.
"This is a major step forward to have information coming directly from people who have direct experience with TB," said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership. "The launch of this community App will help bring the voice of communities directly into the TB response."
Throughout 2017 and 2018, the Stop TB Partnership will support a number of communities to implement community monitoring strategies in TB, leveraging mobile technologies. This in turn will assist in the transformation of TB service delivery by putting people at the center of the TB response.