Set up of Sectorial issues by the involvement of beneficiaries

On July 13^th, 2018 was conducted regular meeting with the TB community representatives within “Changes are possible. Act Now ” project. The format of the meeting and the manner in which the speakers were presented had specification which were addressed to the direct involvement of TB community when it related with sectoral issues and its solutions as well as strengthening the capacity of community as activists.

At the beginning of the meeting Anahit Harutyunyan (“Positive People Armenian Network” social NGO) briefed the audience about the local/international events in the field of TB, highlighted the upcoming high-level Meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2018 and the necessity of having Armenian representation there, she also presented the scheduled meetings’ graphics with representatives of NGOs and the Ministry of Health of RA, NA deputies, the new directorate of the National Center of TB and the representatives of WHO in Armenia.

1. Harutyunyan stepped up the functions of the Coordination Committees of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (CCM) and its inclusion mechanisms. In the frames of consecutive activity and positive outputs, the role of our NGO can be a boost to the attendees in terms of becoming a full member of CCM.

The agenda’s second topic concerned the ACTIVISM. Warm meeting with Svetlana Isambaeva: an expert from Russia, was full of emotions, renewed feelings of self-confidence, and encouragement to act as leaders of positive changes. She is a president of ‘’Svetlana Izbambaeva Foundation’’, registered in Kazan in 2008 (http://izambaeva.org), whose goal is to promote charitable, healthy lifestyle, social and economic activities, and protection of citizens’ rights.

The unchangeable motto of the Foundation for 10 years is “Providing material and other type of assistance to all categories of socially vulnerable groups regardless of citizenship and religion“.

The Foundation activities concern HIV/AIDS prevention, providing of individual support to HIV positive people and their families by psychologists, lawyers, doctors and other professionals help.

Firstly S.Izambayeva introduced by herself then the same ask to do the audience. With direct participation of the attendees, as a result of the combined work, the speaker graphically illustrated the stages of the diagnosis acceptance. According to standards these are: shock, rejection, aggression, depression, acceptance.

Each stage has its difficulties, and at each stage there is a danger finally lose faith in life. TB community representatives through these 5 steps line talked about their experiences, obstacles, shame, stigma and discrimination. Adoption of the disease, providing support to the individual and his/her environment is a phase that supposed to keep life.

As a way out result there may be the duties of an Activism.

Help, provide, encourage, get, raise, propagate, solve: verbs that are parallel with the term of ACTIVISM, and you, as one who survived already, have the power to lead others.

The third part of the meeting Alvina Alagulyan (Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the NGO) conducted a focus group discussion on the development of PSA that should be aimed at reducing the interruption of TB treatment.

The discussion had a form of recommendations. Each participant presented his/her point of view.

The discussion was held in the following main directions:

• Development of the PSA content
• Choosing a character of the PSA
• The main messages of the PSA

Content of the PSA: Participants of the focus group discussion suggested to involve in PSA a person who had been infected with TB, show the happy end with underlining the patient’s emotions after the treatment. One of the participants highlighted the importance of demonstration patients’ families’ support.

A part of participants suggested to demonstrate the importance of treatment like a medic pyramid, according to which each part of the pyramid contains TB medicines and the removal one of the piece of the pyramid stone will bring the failure of treatment. The participants approved this suggestion.

One of the participants within the discussion made a proposal to film the video through comparisons. There are two people in the video, one of which has already finished treatment and the other has rejected to receive treatment. What they got and what they lost in both cases. By comparison, can be shown the outcomes of treated and non-treated patients life conditions.

Characters selection: The participants approved the idea that actors in the video can be famous people. It was also suggested to demonstrate there a lot of voices.

Messages: During the discussion also were touched the key messages that should be voiced in PSA.

The following key messages were proposed:

• Life goes on after TB
• Do not interrupt treatment
• The effectiveness of the treatment depends on adherence of treatment
• Win TB
• Patience is rewarded with health
• Leaving half way means to lose
• Use your privilege to live
• Healthy family, healthy society
• TB treatment is free in RA