Bangkok, Thailand, 4 November, 2022 – In a glittering ceremony, TBpeople Ukraine and Club des Amis Damien from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were announced as the joint winners of the Stop TB Partnership Community Award 2022. The award function was organized on the sidelines of the Stop TB Partnership Community Summit being held in Bangkok from 31 October to 4 November.
The US$50,000 prize, awarded annually since 2019, recognizes the significant contributions of affected communities and civil society in ending TB using rights and gender-based TB approaches to TB. Since 2021, Humana People to People Foundation (Humana) has joined Stop TB Partnership to support this award. The theme of this year’s Stop TB Partnership Community Award 2022 focused on TB community-led monitoring efforts to ensure no one is left behind during the TB response.
“I cannot say enough about how proud I am of this award, the fact that we are able to have it for the last 4 years in a row and of this year’s amazing winners. Their steadfast dedication to championing TB through community-led engagement in affected communities is not only commendable but also awe-inspiring. They are an inspiration to us all, and I cannot wait to see how this award is going to further support and strengthen the networks of people affected by this disease. Together, I am sure we will be able to end TB,” said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership.
“I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the TBpeople Ukraine. I am very thankful to the Stop TB Partnership and Humana Foundation for recognizing and appreciating our work. For five years, TBpeople Ukraine has been putting people affected by TB first. Through community leadership and collaborative partnerships, community-led monitoring (CLM) has overcome barriers faced by people affected by TB in Ukraine and has generated discussions on the need for law reform to protect their rights. Through community leadership and collaborative partnerships, I know we can end TB,” said Olya Klymenko, Chairperson of the Board, TBpeople Ukraine.
“We are grateful to the Stop TB Partnership and Humana People to People Foundation for this award. We would not have been able to do this work alone, and so our thanks goes to our National TB Programme for their strong commitment and collaboration with the communities. We are humbled to receive this award and it will motivate us even more to find every single person who is affected by TB in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Maxime Lunga, Secrétaire National, Club des Amis Damien.
Out of 63 nominations, the winners were selected for their enormous contributions to empower people affected by the disease to be part of the TB response.
“Humana People to People Foundation is proud and humbled to contribute to the incredible work of the Stop TB Partnership and TB-affected communities. Despite all the advances made in global health architecture, TB remains to severely underfunded and largely neglected. To end TB by 2030, active involvement and meaningful participation of communities and civil society is essential, and this award gives some much-needed encouragement and motivation to the communities and civil society members who are tirelessly working to improve TB response. A thought very much at the heart of our values. We were thoroughly impressed by all the nominees this year and their incredible work, with TB People Ukraine and Club des Amis Damien (DRC) standing out for their tenacity and resilience in incredibly challenging contexts”, said Jesper Wohlert, Director of European Partnerships, Humana People To People Foundation
The week-long Stop TB Partnership Community Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, brought together over 160 Challenge Facility for Civil Society and country-level STP platform partners from over 35 countries to mobilise and engage around the following 6 key themes:
- Breaking Down Barriers to Moblise and Empower TB Affected Communities
- Elevating Ambition in National Strategic Plans and for Global Fund New Funding Model IV
- Scaling Up OneImpact TB CLM to close the deadly divide between communities and TB realities
- Country-level collaboration and partnerships to elevate political will and end TB
- Ensuring meaningful and effective engagement in the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB to ensure the highest level of participation.
- Effective grant management
