What communities need from global and National stakeholders to ensure engagement of community groups. Francis George Apina 15 th Core Group meeting of TB/HIV Working Group 3 rd - 4 th November rd - 4 th November in Geneva.

Rationale for community engagement A sustainable community engagement needs to be developed collaboratively by the people who make up the stakeholders chain. It should not be created by some groups within the chain and imposed upon the rest of the stakeholders. A sustainable community engagement needs to be developed collaboratively by the people who make up the stakeholders chain. It should not be created by some groups within the chain and imposed upon the rest of the stakeholders.

Rational Cont…. It should be a continuous process which can be successful only if implemented every day by the people who live and work in the community, because at the end of the day the experts (stakeholders) go home and the community is left to carry on.It should be a continuous process which can be successful only if implemented every day by the people who live and work in the community, because at the end of the day the experts (stakeholders) go home and the community is left to carry on.

Who are key TB/HIV project stakeholders Are people involved or affected by the project activities. They include:Are people involved or affected by the project activities. They include: –Users / owner/community/beneficiaries/consumers –Sponsors/multilateral/bilateral/Government –Top Management –Suppliers/pharmaceuticals –Project team / Performing organization –Researchers –Steering Committee –Interest groups/Organizations –Project Manager

Needs of the community in ensuring Sustainable Community Engagement with key stakeholders. 1. Communities needs sustainable partnership based of clear and real engagement structures that provides for community meaningful participation and representation as key stakeholders with equal stake in both national and global TB and HIV programs.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 2.Communities need platform to share lessons learnt, celebrate their successes from various projects that they implement in the community. Use the challenges and outcome to inform policy making, future TB/HIV programs and setting funding priorities.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 3. Communities need empowerment in form of capacity building and skills strengthening in science, research processes, TB and HIV vaccine development, new TB drugs and diagnostics development, project design, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, documentation and reporting.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 4. Communities need responsive and objective monitoring and evaluation process that is not subjective, a process that denotes the achievements gained, identify challenges and motivate community groups to do more in quality services delivery to the communities where they operate.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 5. Information flow, on decisions made at higher policy making level, key research findings in TB and HIV treatment, diagnostics, and other processes including strategic thinking should not only be disseminated to the community but they should integral part of the entire process from the conception, execution, actualization to M&E. Community should not be used for endorsement or rubber stamping purposes of unclear policies and processes but should have ownership by providing significant inputs.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 6. Communities needs recognition and mutual understanding from both national and global stakeholders as primary stakeholders in every initiative that intends to address community concerns for their contribution in the implementation of both policies and programs.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 7.Community groups needs sustain funding schemes to support them coordinate comprehensive responses to TB/HIV activities in the community.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 8.Both global and National stakeholders should practice/adopt transparent governance and be made accountable to the communities/constituencies.

Ensure Community Engagement cont… 9.Communities must be an integral part of what Global and National stakeholders are and what they do. A genuine commitment to the involvement of the affected communities in responding to TB /HIV is not simply the expression of a commitment to ensure that communities have control over their own health, but also calls for transfer of carefully structured responsibility to ensure long term sustainability of that commitment.

Needs deliverables are Quality engagement and input from the community groupsQuality engagement and input from the community groups Strategic partners and alliancesStrategic partners and alliances Effective exchange of ideas and informationEffective exchange of ideas and information High level of reliability and dependabilityHigh level of reliability and dependability Transparency and accountabilityTransparency and accountability Value adding to national and global stakeholdersValue adding to national and global stakeholders Quality national and global TB and HIV programsQuality national and global TB and HIV programs Long term sustainability of TB/HIV programsLong term sustainability of TB/HIV programs Less resistance and readiness of up takeLess resistance and readiness of up take

Conclusion The broader the participation base of the community, the greater the support for the process will be from the community and the better the chance for long-term sustainability.The broader the participation base of the community, the greater the support for the process will be from the community and the better the chance for long-term sustainability. To a greater extent the community also have their own interest which should not be ignored if you want to do business with them.To a greater extent the community also have their own interest which should not be ignored if you want to do business with them. ASANTENI SANA- THANK YOU VERY MUCH