REACH Ethiopia

The 18th Tuberculosis Research Advisory Council (TRAC) annual research conference and 2024 World TB Day commemoration will be held in Addis Ababa from March 21 – 24, 2024 under the theme “Yes! We can End TB!”. Interested applicants are invited to submit abstract of their own research in the following topics.

ለመላው የክርስትና ዕምነት ተከታዮች እንኳን ለብርሃነ ልደቱ በሰላም አደረሳችሁ።
Happy Ethiopian Christmas!

REACH Ethiopia wishes everyone around the world a happy and prosperous New Year in 2024!

REACH Ethiopia officially launched the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS) Round 12 Project yesterday December 29,2023 at Axum Hotel Mekele. The project aims to empower and support communities in the war-affected Central and Northwest regions of Tigray by targeting an estimated 131,190 beneficiaries.
The project focuses on two key objectives:
1. Addressing Human Rights and Gender-Based Violations in TB Programs: REACH Ethiopia will identify gaps in existing services and develop interventions that strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) and community structures to address human rights and gender-based violations related to TB programs.
2. Fostering a Community-Led, Human Rights-Based, and Gender-Transformative TB Response: By empowering communities, the project seeks to ensure equitable access to TB services, promote respect for human rights, and advance gender equality in TB program implementation throughout the region.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Tamru Assefa from REACH Ethiopia highlighted the organization's strong track record in community TB programs across the country. "We are proud to launch this project in Tigray for the first time, leveraging our successful experiences from CFCS Rounds 10 and 11 in Addis Ababa & Dire Dawa City Administration and Harari Region," he stated.
Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Rieye Esayas, Vice Head of the Tigray Regional Health Bureau, emphasized the importance of partnering with REACH Ethiopia. "We value REACH Ethiopia's collaboration in addressing the challenges we face in restoring health services and TB program activities in the areas," he said.
By bringing its successful experiences from previous CFCS round 11 &12 projects to Tigray, REACH Ethiopia hopes to make a significant impact in supporting communities and strengthening the region's TB response.

Religious leaders and Iddir representatives, supported by the Stop TB Partnership's Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS) Round 11 project, conducted a health facility visit and integrated TB program monitoring in Addis Ababa on December 27-28, 2023. This crucial activity aims to achieve four key goals:
1. Assess Community, Right, and Gender (CRG) status of TB services: This involves evaluating accessibility, availability, and acceptability of TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services for diverse community groups, with a focus on ensuring equitable access for marginalized and vulnerable populations.
2. Identify areas for improvement: The activity will pinpoint gaps and challenges in the existing TB program, particularly regarding CRG considerations, to inform targeted interventions and program strengthening.
3. Share best practices: Iddirs and relegious institutions and will have the opportunity to share successful approaches and innovative strategies for promoting CRG-sensitive TB services, fostering knowledge exchange and peer learning.
4. Foster collaboration: The visit will create a platform for strengthening partnerships and collaboration between religious and community leading to more effective and inclusive TB responses.
By combining these goals, the activity seeks to contribute to improved TB outcomes for all communities in Addis Ababa, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable access and quality care for marginalized populations.

While supporting Afar regions TB program, REACH Ethiopia noticed a stalled 🚐mobile van funded by Ministry of Health/Global Fund for TB services across the region. Technical issues kept it sidelined, but thanks to REACH's efforts under the Expertise France grant (focusing on vulnerable pastoralist populations project), the van is back! Maintenance, including crucial part replacements, is complete, and it's ready to resume its vital role.This successful repair, spearheaded by REACH, exemplifies the organization's commitment to solving critical community issues for the community's well-being.

♟️Recognizing the critical need for a clear pathway towards impact and sustainable growth, REACH Ethiopia's board of management during its December 24-25, 2023 meeting unanimously approved the organization's visionary seventh-year strategic plan. This roadmap lays out a path forward from 2024 to 2030, prioritizing key areas such as healthcare, development and wellbeing, innovation,research, education, livelihoods, community development, rights, and gender equality. By focusing on these critical areas, the plan aims to achieve REACHEthiopia vision and empower communities and pave the way for a more equitable and prosperous Ethiopia.

, Ethiopia (December 22, 2023) - In a significant step towards tackling challenges in TB control& prevention , REACH Ethiopia has partnered with the Tigray Regional Health Bureau. The collaboration, formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed today in Mekelle, to implement a project awarded by the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (Round 12).
Titled "Addressing Community, Right and Gender (CRG) barriers through data-driven evidence and community lead monitoring (CLM) of TB program by using one impact tool at war affected areas," the project aims to:
• Identify and address CRG barriers: The project will pinpoint specific obstacles hindering effective TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in war-affected regions of Tigray.
• Data-driven interventions: By leveraging data-driven evidence, the project will inform targeted interventions and advocate for policy changes to address these barriers.
• Community empowerment: Through capacity building in community led monitoring (CLM), the project will empower communities to actively monitor and improve TB program effectiveness.
By tackling CRG barriers and strengthening community engagement, this project strives to improve TB control outcomes in Tigray, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more equitable society for all.

ዋነኛ የቲቢ በሽታ አስተላላፊዎች እነማን ይሆኑ?👇
👉🏽የሳንባ ቲቢ በሽታ ህሙማን ሆነው ወደ ጤና ተቋም መጥተው ምርመራ ያላደረጉ ሠዎች እንዲሁም በምርመራ የሳንባ ቲቢ ህመምተኛ መሆናቸው የተረጋገጠና የቲቢ ህክምና ያልጀመሩ ዋነኛ የቲቢ በሽታ አስተላላፊዎች ናቸው ፡፡ ስለሆነም ሁለት ሳምንትና ከዛ በላይ የቆ ሳል፣ጉልህ የሆነ የሰውነት ክብደት መቀነስ ፣ የምግብ ፍላጎት መቀነስ፣ ትኩሳት ፣ለሊት ለሊት ማላብ እና የደረት ውጋት /ሕመም ዋናዎቹ የቲቢ በሽታ መልክቶች መሆናቸውን አውቀው በአፋጣኝ ወደ አቅራቢያዎ ወደ የሚገኝ የጤና ተቋም በማምራት የቲቢ በሽታ ምርመራ ማድረግዎን እንዳይረሱ፡፡እንዲሁም
👉🏽የቲቢ ታማሚ መሆንዎ ከተረጋገጠ ሲያስሉ፣ ሲያስነጥሱና ሲነጋገሩ ትንፋሽዎት ወደ ሌላ ጤነኛ ሰው እንዳይደርስ በአፍና አፍንጫ መሸፈኛ ጭንብል😷፣ መሐረብ፣ በንጹሕ ጨርቅ ወይም በክንድ የውስጠኛው ክፍል በመሸፈን ይከላከሉ፡፡
⚠️ልብ ይበሉ የቲቢ በሽታ እንዳለብዎት ተረጋግጦ ሕክምና ከጀመሩ ሕክምናዎን ሳያቋርጡ ተከታትለው በመጨረስ ከበሽታው ይፈወሳሉ፡፡

A team of experts assessed existing policy documents to gauge their support for the concept of a community-led, rights-based, and gender-transformative TB program. This evaluation took place during an event organized by REACH Ethiopia on December 14, 2023, at Azzman Hotel, Addis Ababa. The purpose of the assessment was to examine three program policy documents aligned with the ENDTB strategy. Experts, well-versed in formulating, reviewing, and translating policy documents, participated in discussions to identify areas for policy enhancement, ensuring a comprehensive, people-centered care approach within a community-led, rights-based, and gender-transformative framework.
Key aspects evaluated included the incorporation of the CRG concept, consistency among documents, the foundational basis of the policies, inclusion of feasible and effective strategic interventions, establishment of an impact evaluation system, and flexibility in document adoption. The expert group discussion will contribute valuable insights to the review process and the development of implementation documents. Participants included experts from the Ministry of Health, donors, partners, and civil society representatives, offering diverse perspectives and experiences on the CRG TB program.
REACH Ethiopia plans to disseminate the expert insights through various media channels, including social media, following the completion of the report write-up. The event funded by Stop-TB partnership through the Challenge Facility Civil Society Round 11 grant.

📢 We've created a new LinkedIn account to share more about our activities and updated information about TB .Stay updated and join us by visiting: 👉🏽

www.linkedin.com

📺Afar TV news coverage about REACH Ethiopia's effort in supporting the region’s TB program.
👇🕘9:20

አፋር ቲቪ አማርኛ ዜና ማታ 1፡30 …ህዳር 18/2016 ዓ/ም

(Semera-Afar, November 29, 2023)
A two-day stakeholders' consultative meeting, held on November 27-28, 2023, in Semera, Afar, focused on integrating TB control and prevention activities into the mobile health and nutrition teams' functions, alongside the revitalization of mobile clinic operations. Organized by REACH Ethiopia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Afar Regional Health Bureau, the meeting aimed to breathe new life into mobile TB clinic services, reinforcing regional efforts to achieve the end-TB goal by reaching those who may have been overlooked.
The mobile van, procured with support from the Global Fund, initially provided TB diagnostic and treatment linkage in various parts of the region. However, for an extended period, activity ceased due to issues with the machines. All stakeholders believe that the equipment can play a significant role in the TB program, and the utilization of the equipment prompted a meeting to address the problem and restore its functionality.
The workshop was officially opened by the regional health bureau head, His Excellency Mr. Yasin Habib. In his opening speech, he reflected on the region's commitment to revitalizing the utilization of this important program equipment. He emphasized the contribution of the equipment to the mobile lifestyle of the majority of the population, highlighting the need to derive benefits from the machine through a balanced investment of money, time, and other resources. He made it clear that the machines would significantly contribute to the TB program's efforts to achieve the stated target.
Mr. Meseret Assefa, the Executive Director of REACH Ethiopia, reiterated the organization's commitment to sharing and applying its previous experience working with mobile vans in the Addis Ababa. He emphasized REACH Ethiopia's dedication to supporting the government's efforts in revitalizing mobile clinic services and maintaining the activity. REACH Ethiopia has committed to collaborate on this initiative by providing technical and financial support through funds secured from Expertise France.

An Integrated Refresher Training (IRT) on TB was held for health extension workers from November 23-25, 2023, in Afar Awash 7 kilo. This training aimed to enhance the capabilities of health extension workers in effectively preventing, diagnosing, and treating TB within their communities.
Health extension workers play a pivotal role in the TB control program, providing crucial services such as screening, treatment, and patient support.
REACH Ethiopia is dedicated to assisting the Afar regional health Bureau through the Reaching Vulnerable and Key Affected Population in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia project in its endeavors to control TB.
The organization is implementing a range of interventions to improve TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, including training for health extension workers, providing support to health facilities, and raising awareness about TB in communities.

(Dire Dawa , November 25,2023)
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) forum and representatives from selected community institutions conducted Health facility visits and monitoring of the TB program implementation in Dire Dawa Administration and Harari Regional state from November 21-25, 2023. Their efforts included analysis of observations, discussions in meetings with forum members, Regional Health Bureaus, and Implementer REACH Ethiopia in both Regions.
The objectives were to:
1. Assess the current status of the TB program related to community engagement, rights, and gender (CRG) in Dire Dawa Administration and Harari Region.
2.Identify areas that require improvement and potential opportunities for enhancement.
3.Share best practices among forum members in TB prevention and control.
4.Foster stronger collaboration among stakeholders involved in the fight against TB.
The forums served as a valuable platform for CSOs to exchange their experiences and best practices, contributing to a collective effort to combat TB in Ethiopia.
The CFCS Round 11 project has emerged as a critical resource for CSOs to contribute to ending TB in the country through a range of activities, such as:
• Providing human rights, stigma reduction, and gender-specific training for healthcare workers and TB survivors.
• Supporting CSO forum and community institutions' participation.
• Empowering CSOs to contribute to TB prevention and control efforts and save the lives of individuals affected by TB.

A training on Community, Rights & Gender (CRG), Stigma Reduction and Client-HCP Interaction for TB Focal Persons was successfully conducted on November 23-24, 2023 at the Yatu Hotel in Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
This training was organized by REACH Ethiopia/ STOP TB Partnership CFCS-11 Project in collaboration with the Addis Ababa City Health Bureau.
The training aimed to equip 37 TB Focal Persons from Sub-city and public health facilities with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively engage with TB patients, their families, and communities. The participants gained insights into CRG principles, stigma reduction strategies, and client-centered communication techniques.
The training is expected to contribute to improved TB treatment outcomes, reduced stigma, and increased community engagement in TB prevention and control efforts.

The national comprehensive training on TB, TB/HIV, and DR-TB for healthcare providers successfully concluded today. Held from November 13 to 19, 2023, at the Awash 7 Kilo Genet Hotel.
The training was organized by REACH Ethiopia/Reaching Vulnerable and Key Affected Population in Pastoralist Area of Ethiopia Project in collaboration with Afar Regional Health Bureau, aimed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of healthcare providers in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of tuberculosis, including TB/HIV and DR-TB, in pastoralist communities in Ethiopia. A total of 28 healthcare providers from different health facilities in the Afar region attended the training.

REACH Ethiopia/Stop TB Partnership Wave 9 Project, in collaboration with Addis Ababa Health Bureau, organized a six-day Programmatic and Clinical Management of Drug Resistant TB (PMDT) Training from November 13-18, 2023, at Yatu Hotel in Bishoftu. This training equipped 18 healthcare providers working at government health facilities in Addis Ababa with the knowledge and skills to provide quality DR-TB care, contributing to Ethiopia's End TB Strategy.
-TBCare

(Addis Ababa ,November 10,2023)
Today REACH Ethiopia attended the CSO constituency meeting with the Global Fund Country Team at the Saro-Maria Hotel, organized by the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).
Different CSO sub-recipients and community organizations attended the meeting. REACH Ethiopia is a sub-recipient for the Global Fund TB program grant from the Ministry of Health and is implementing the Removing Human Rights & Gender-Related Barriers to TB Services project. Through community mobilization and advocacy for TB services at the national level, we are working to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need.
The meeting brought together different CSO’s to share experiences and challenges, as well as to enhance partnerships and collaboration. The Global Fund supports CSOs in Ethiopia working on TB, HIV, and malaria programs.

Today, November 6, 2023, we held a booklet handover ceremony with the Interreligious Council of Ethiopia (IRCE). The booklets, produced through the Global Fund grant in collaboration with the Ministry of Health's National TB Program, aim to raise awareness about TB, leprosy, and other lung diseases. These booklets will serve as valuable tools for religious leaders, who play a pivotal role in promoting health education and behavior change among their congregations.
Religious leaders in Ethiopia are highly respected figures who command significant influence within their communities. Their voices carry immense weight, and their guidance is deeply valued by their followers. By engaging religious leaders in TB, leprosy, and other lung disease prevention and control efforts, we can effectively harness their leadership and reach a wider audience with critical health messages.
The booklets provided to the IRCE will empower religious leaders to disseminate accurate and up-to-date information about these diseases, dispelling myths and misconceptions that may hinder prevention efforts. They will also equip religious leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify and refer individuals with suspected TB, leprosy, or other lung diseases to appropriate healthcare services.
Through targeted awareness creation activities in religious institutions, we can significantly impact the prevention and control of TB, leprosy, and other lung diseases in Ethiopia. Religious leaders have the potential to transform communities, and by partnering with them, we can foster a healthier and more resilient society.

📢Thrilling news! The Union Launches New Open Access Journal for TB and Lung Disease
The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is launching a new open access journal, IJTLD Open, to improve and broaden access to scientific knowledge. IJTLD Open will sit alongside its sister journal, the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD), which will continue to provide a free-to-publish option for authors in low- to middle-income countries.
IJTLD Open will officially launch on January 1, 2024, with a call for papers. Authors for both journals will submit their manuscripts via the same portal and manuscripts will be evaluated solely on scientific merit. The only change will occur after a paper has been accepted: authors with funding for OA will be published in IJTLD Open; those without will be published in the IJTLD.
Click here for more details: https://theunion.org/our-work/journals/ijtld-open

IJTLD Open | The Union! Launching in January 2024, IJTLD Open is The Union's new Open Access journal for the latest...

👉🏽❤️ለቲቢ ህሙማን ተገቢውን ፍቅርና አክብሮት በመስጠት ሰብአዊ ብሎም ማህበራዊ ድጋፍ በማድረግ ሃላፊነታችንን እንውጣ!
Let us fulfill our responsibility to TB patients by showing them love and respect and providing humanitarian and social support!

An introductory meeting for the CSOs Forum was held today, October 24, 2023, organized by REACH Ethiopia/Stop TB Partnership Challenge Facility for Civil Society Round 11 Project in collaboration with the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA).
The meeting aimed to bring together different CSOs to engage them in TB prevention and control activities aligned with their work. CSOs from various sectors attended the meeting.
Civil society organization (CSO) forums play a vital role in TB prevention and control activities by providing a platform for CSOs to share information, best practices, and learn from each other, as well as advocating for policies and programs that support TB prevention and control.
Therefore, this forum is expected to play a crucial role in the fight against TB by raising awareness, mobilizing resources, and advocating for policies and programs that will help to end TB.

This workshop will help Ethiopia to improve the quality and completeness of TB data collection and reporting. This will lead to a better understanding of the TB epidemic in the country and help to identify areas where interventions are needed.
-TB

👉🏽💊የቲቢ በሽታ እንዳለብዎት ተረጋግጦ ሕክምና ከጀመሩ ከሚወስዱት የፀረ-ቲቢ መድሃኒት ጋር በተያያዘ የጎንዮሽ ህመም ወይም ከበድ ያለ ችግር ሲያጋጥምዎ በአፋጣኝ ህክምናዎትን ወደ ጀመሩበት ወይም በአቅራቢያዎ ወደ የሚገኝ የጤና ተቋም በማምራት ያሳውቁ!
If you have been diagnosed with TB and have started treatment, report any side effects or serious problems related to your anti-tuberculosis drugs immediately to your healthcare provider!

(Addis Ababa, October 9, 2023)
REACH Ethiopia and Organic Health Service Ethiopian Residents Charity (OHCS) signed an agreement today to implement a three-year project to improve TB care in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia's Afar Region. The project is funded by Expertise France and will reach an estimated 377,000 people.
The project will focus on increasing awareness of TB, engaging communities in TB prevention and control efforts, improving access to quality TB diagnostic and treatment services, and reducing stigma and discrimination.
"We are excited to partner with OHCS to implement this important project," said Meseret Assefa, Executive Director of REACH Ethiopia. "TB is a major public health problem in Ethiopia, and pastoralist communities are particularly vulnerable. This project will help us to reach these communities with the services they need to prevent, diagnose, and treat TB."
"We are grateful for the support of Expertise France and REACH Ethiopia," said Kitaw T/Mariam, Founder and Executive Director of OHCS. "This project will allow us to expand our work in pastoralist communities and help us to achieve our goal of ending TB in Ethiopia."
The project will be implemented in Zone 3 of the Afar Region, which is home to a large population of pastoralists. Pastoralist communities often face challenges in accessing healthcare services, due to their nomadic lifestyle and the difficult conditions in which they live.
The project will work with local communities to develop and implement TB prevention and control programs that are tailored to their needs. The project will also work to strengthen the capacity of local health facilities to provide quality TB diagnostic and treatment services.

REACH Ethiopia, through the Round 11 project, has prepared an information booklet about TB for volunteers to use for awareness creation activities.
This booklet provides information on TB, including:
•What is TB?
•Who is at risk for TB?
•How is TB spread?
•Signs and symptoms of TB
•How to get tested for TB.
•Treatment for TB
• Preventing TB
The booklet also includes a section on how to talk to people about TB, including tips on how to start a conversation, what to say, and how to answer common questions.
This booklet is a valuable resource for volunteers who are working to raise awareness about TB and help people get the care they need. It is written in a clear and concise way, and it is available in Amharic.
Here is the PDF file:

Final TB booklet REACH 10_9_2023.pdf

ለመላው የክርስትና እምነት ተከታዮች በሙሉ እንኳን ለብርሀነ መስቀሉ በሰላም አደረሳችሁ።

እንኳን ለመውሊድ በዓል በሰላም አደረሳችሁ!
REACH Ethiopia wishes a happy Mewlid!