Advocacy aims to secure needed financial resources and change policies, guidelines or procedures by influencing stakeholders such as politicians, decision-makers and journalists.
Building citizen advocacy
What is the citizen advocacy project?
The purpose of the “Building Citizen Advocacy for TB and MDR-TB” is to build the advocacy capacity for TB/MDR-TB of civil society and affected communities in TB high-burden countries in order to have a sustainable impact on TB and MDR-TB in those countries.
The Advocacy Partnership cultivates and builds the capacity of new advocates to have an impact on Tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in their own communities.
Project activities
A number of countries with notable high TB burdens: India, South Africa, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan have already been identified and advocacy trainings delivered.
The primary goal of the project is to generate informed, skilled and capable advocates advocating to stop TB in their own country.
In each country the project:
1. Conducts a needs assessment to identify obstacles to advocacy in-country and gain a better understanding of the local context.
2. Develops and delivers tailor-made, country-specific workshops that will help:
build advocacy skills for TB/MDR-TB amongst civil society and affected communities and their capacity to impact policy-makers
raise awareness of TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB amongst decision-makers
cultivate an effective advocacy network and identify leaders to take the work forward.
develop an advocacy plan for the year following each training
develop a training plan to be delivered by participant trainers in country
3. Provides follow-up support, advocacy coaching and mentoring.
4. Evaluates progress of individuals and growth and effectiveness of advocacy work.
5. Shares information, learning and resources during the life of the project.
A TB/MDR-TB advocacy tool kit will be developed during the life-time of the project that we hope will be shared beyond the life of the project.
Further trainings
A further training will take place in 2011 (country to be decided).
For further information on advocacy trainings please contact the Project Director: Sheila Davie at sheiladavie@advocacypartnership.org