Success Stories
Here are a couple of stories from the field that demonstrate ACTION's brand of advocacy, and the successes that often follow:
Grassroots Advocacy in the US
Building a Network of Stakeholders in Kenya
UK Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya
Media Skills Training Workshops
Declaration of TB as Continent-Wide Emergency in Africa
Lucy Chesire's Trip to the UK
Report Release on the World Bank's Enduring Neglect of TB in Africa
GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY IN THE US
In March 2008, Lisa Marchal, a Minister who works with ACTION partner RESULTS Educational Fund, had a very successful one-on-one meeting with Rick Wilson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Representative Dan Burton, a Republican from Indiana.
On the agenda – the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and its TB provisions. After discussing the need for robust TB-HIV co-treatment programs, Wilson asked Lisa to send him additional information.
Later that month, while networking at the Indiana Bread for the World conference, Lisa attended a panel discussion on tips for working with legislative offices. One of the panelists just happened to be Rick Wilson!
Midway through the discussion, Rick launched into a story . . .
"A few weeks ago, a young woman comes into my office. She's a minister, and she wants to talk about TB. She came in and thanked Rep. Burton for something he did on the TB issue last year, something I didn't even know he'd done. Then we started talking about PEPFAR. This woman obviously came prepared. What's more, she offered to follow up with some additional information. Now she's my best friend! I depend on her for up-to-the-minute information on the issues that she works on."
BUILDING A NETWORK OF STAKEHOLDERS IN KENYA
One of the ACTION project’s greatest accomplishments was supporting the emergence of a large network of health advocates in Kenya, called the United Civil Society Coalition against AIDS, TB and Malaria (UCC-ATM).
Hatched at a meeting convened by ACTION partner KANCO, the coalition brought together representatives from approximately 20 civil society organizations who had not previously worked together in a coordinated, sustainable way to address and advance common interests.
Putting aside competition for limited resources and space in the advocacy agenda, members of the UCC-ATM began advocating with a unified voice for greater transparency and accountability in the government's handling of two Global Fund grants for AIDS, TB, and malaria, which had been delayed for well over a year. Within months of the UCC-ATM’s emergence, the grants moved forward.
The UCC-ATM continues to monitor these and other Global Fund grants for TB, as well as HIV/AIDS and malaria, to ensure the flow of resources to intended recipients. At present, the network is also working toward improving the structure and functioning of the Global Fund country coordinating mechanism (CCM) in Kenya.
Read more about the ACTION’s work in creating the UCC-ATM in our Best Practices Guide.
UK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO KENYA
ACTION partner RESULTS UK organized a Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya in September 2005. The Members of Parliament (MPs) went on site visits to a number of TB and TB-HIV programs. They were given opportunities to discuss issues in great detail directly with patients, health workers, NGOs, the Kenyan Ministry of Health and representatives from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in Kenya.
In coordination with the delegation, activists back in the UK wrote to DFID country offices in Kenya and other high TB burden countries in Africa to request information about DFID’s response to the TB emergency in their particular country.
As a result of the delegation and letters, TB has been put higher up on the political agenda both in the UK Parliament, by the MPs who were on the delegation, and in Kenya, where the UK MPs and letter-writing activists asked tough questions about TB control programs there.
After the delegation, there was increased media coverage on TB in the MPs’ districts, and the UK MPs established the first All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis (APPG), tabled oral and written questions on TB and the Global Fund in Parliament, and organized a debate on “TB in the Developing World” in the House of Commons.
Since its inception in 2004, ACTION has organized 10 delegation trips to endemic countries to engage policymakers in the fight against TB. On these trips, policymakers not only observe and learn about various issues surrounding the TB epidemic and its control, they also become engaged in advocacy efforts within the country throughout and after the journey. Parliamentary and Congressional delegations are one of the ACTION project’s most effective advocacy tools. Read more in the Best Practices Guide.
In Her Own Words:
“The whole experience has really brought home what people in Kenya lack and that TB is not a priority. Everyone we discussed TB with has always had it at the bottom of the list and we have to bring it into the discussion. I think there is a huge job to do in terms of raising TB as an issue at home and with DFID generally. The visit [is] so worthwhile in terms of making parliamentarians aware of what's happening here.” - Julie Morgan, UK Member of Parliament for Cardiff North, Labour Party
MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS
ACTION has held two three-day TB Champions Media Workshops at Eli Lilly and Company’s international headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The objective: To increase the number of influential spokespeople who can successfully raise awareness and support for global TB control issues, including drug resistance and the deadly links between TB and HIV.
In attendance: High-level policymakers, TB technical officials, patient activists, and other TB experts.
Sessions during the workshops included lectures, discussions, participatory exercises, and hands-on demonstrations to develop trainees’ skills in radio and television interview techniques, message development, and presentation style. Highlights included a visit to a TV newsroom, recorded TV and radio interviews, and a live press conference with mock journalists.
The workshops achieved their intended purpose and the additional benefits of:
- Enhancing participants’ commitment to raise awareness of TB and drug-resistant TB on national, regional, and international agendas.
- Creating networking opportunities among participants, organizers, trainers, and Lilly’s staff.
- Facilitating discussion and planning around strategic advocacy and media efforts, like potential collaboration with the First Lady of Georgia on media and advocacy opportunities in the Eastern European region and advocacy efforts to leverage the Stop TB Partnership Forum hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2009;
In the participants' own words:
“The enabling environment was excellent.”
“This was a great opportunity to clarify…areas/skills which I felt uncomfortable with.”
“It was all fabulous…great leadership and support, hosting by Lilly, pacing, opportunities to share ideas and learn from others.”
DECLARATION OF TB AS A CONTINENT-WIDE EMERGENCY IN AFRICA
Effective collaboration among ACTION partners helped prompt African Ministers of Health to declare TB a continent-wide emergency at a WHO regional meeting in August 2005.
ACTION partners created media attention around the announcement and generated over 63 pieces of media worldwide including 14 wire stories and major TV coverage on BBC News as well as spots on CNN, Voice of America and EuroNews.
The declaration and resulting media coverage helped increase global awareness on the massive TB problem in Africa, raise the profile of TB in Africa among policymakers, and called on the donor community to increase support for Africa’s effort to fight TB.
LUCY CHESIRES’S TRIP TO THE UK
Lucy Chesire is a nutritionist by trade and an activist by calling. In 1997, Lucy became the first female health professional in Kenya to publicly acknowledge her HIV status. In 2000, as is the case with close to 80% of HIV patients who contract tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa, Lucy came close to death. She has since recovered from TB and now uses her personal story to educate and engage.
In February 2005, ACTION partner RESULTS UK hosted an advocacy tour for Lucy. On her journey, Lucy made several key stops:
- She met with the Department for International Development (DFID).
- She met one-on-one with key UK Members of Parliament (MPs) representing all of the major parties at the House of Commons, all of whom showed great interest in combined TB-HIV interventions.
- She spoke about her experiences to approximately 40 students in the International Development course at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS).
- She was interviewed via multiple media outlets including television (“The Sunday Programme” on GMTV), radio (“Network Africa” on BBC World Service) and online (Diaspora online magazine).
Overall, the trip was a great success. Relationships were forged with key decision makers, substantial media coverage was generated and Lucy’s visit was discussed at the highest level. Lucy said she really enjoyed the opportunity to tell people about the “realities on the ground as opposed to what they had just read in books”. She also said her work that week gave her a new “lease of life.”
REPORT RELEASE ON THE WORLD BANK'S ENDURING NEGLECT OF TB IN AFRICA
In September 2006, timed with the World Bank’s annual fall meetings, ACTION partner's released, Enduring Neglect: The World Bank’s Inadequate Response to Africa’s TB Emergency. The report evaluates World Bank spending on TB in Africa with specific recommendations for increased investment and programming. At the time of the release, ACTION coordinated a journalist conference call for North America featuring Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
In the US, the report’s release generated an editorial and news article in The New York Times, AP and AFP wire stories, an editorial in The Boston Globe, and coverage in several other regional papers. In addition, RESULTS Japan distributed the report to 80 journalists as well as government officials and other NGOs, and RESULTS Canada’s efforts generated a wire story in Canadian Press, the largest wire service in Canada, which led to articles on CBC and the National Post’s websites as well as print coverage in regional and local papers.
As a result of this report and ACTION's continuous efforts, with the support of other partners, the World Bank has given increased attention and expressed a “renewed commitment” to TB and TB-HIV in Africa.
