Civil Society Advocate and Media Practitioners have been urged to contribute their quota towards reducing the burden of tuberculosis in Anambra State.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that they are tasked to do all within their power to get the state government to increase budgetary allocation and releases for TB program.
This, according to the Executive Director, Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre, (GPSDC) Eucharia Anekwe, is imperative in the face of the growing donor fatigue and the current rating of the state as number in terms of TB burden in the south east region.
Anekwe made the call in Awka, Anambra State, at a one day capacity building training for Civil Society Organizations and the media on enhancing advocacy strategies for TB funding, which was held under the Fund TB project anchored by Policy Alert in partnership with the Palladium Group, under the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project, funded by USAID.
The Program Manager of the organization, Oge Ozoemena, in her address of welcome, noted that the overaching goal of the project is to enhance and sustain domestic investment and bridge the substantial 70 percent funding gap required to manage tuberculosis interventions in our focal states.
“Your presence here underscores the importance of our collective mission and the pivotal role you play in advancing TB interventions in our communities.”
“I am confident that this workshop will equip us with the tools and knowledge necessary to make a lasting impact. Together, we can enhance our advocacy efforts, foster greater engagement, and ultimately bridge the funding gap to manage TB effectively,” Ozoemena concluded.
In a paper presentation, the General Manager Angel Network News, Dr. Ifeanyi Obiefuna, challenged the CSOs and media professionals to be alive to their responsibilities.
Obiefuna argued that without a good understanding of TB related budgets, policies and laws, it will be difficult to carry out successful interventions and media reporting.
“When you get the state budgets, one of the things you can do to determine the level of TB funding is to see if allocations are increasing or decreasing, what are factors driving the changes, impacts of the trend on TB intervention as well as success and challenges”.
Another presentation was delivered by the State TB Network coordinator, Ify Unachukwu, who shared many tips on how to carry out effective advocacy for improved TB funding in the state.
“You must bear in mind the principles of effective community. Ensure your message is clear and understandable, be consistent with the message and back your message up with reliable data to earn credibility.
“Above all, present your advocacy brief in a humanized manner which evokes emotions and makes it easy for your audience to relate with them.
Do not also forget to use before and after statistics and visualizations to show the decrease in TB and the increase in treatment success rates. This will greatly in driving home your message,” Unachukwu submitted.
The event afforded participants the opportunity to interact and share insights on the health sector of the state especially the TB intervention with a resolve to work assiduously together to achieve a rise in domestic funding for the infectious disease.
The CSO activists and media practitioners also drafted action plan and strategies for the engagements during the six-month long Fund TB campaign.
