journalistsagainsttb

Day two  of The Lilly MDR TB Partnership and Aequum Mentorship for TB Advocates was an exciting one. Vibrant discussions were held on the severe need for advocacy in the TB sector. The participants who came in with rich experience and learnings from ground levels on the gaps, the challenges and the problems that TB patients face during their journey from ill-health to good health, were quickly able to identify areas for change. The day also helped them to debate on different forms of communication which would be relevant for each category of patients, and give them accurate information and awareness on diagnosis, treatment and cure. There was special emphasis on the use of communication methods which could be simple for the unlettered to understand. Textless communication, the use of dolls and other methods were discussed. Some photographs:

Photo Credit:Rajeev Biswal

This story showed gender discrimination. Notice the boy on the right, enjoying the joys of childhood while his sister cooks, does household chores and fetches water.

Photo Credit: Dhananjay

The photograph above shows how the participants used dolls and toys available within arm’s reach to tell stories of change. This story demonstrated the entire ‘cough to cure’ pathway of TB. It showed diagnosis, treatment, nutrition and cure.

Photo Credit: Rohit Kumar Lal

The story above shows the ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan’. Notice the toilet made of modelling clay on the extreme right, used as a store room for household articles. Also note the little girl defecating in the fields and the health of the family deteriorating and their having to visit doctors.

The participants demonstrated with strength that the means for effective communication is at arm’s reach. Creativity, accurate information and commitment is all it takes. The mentees deserve special kudos for this.