Invitation to participate in forging new tools for improving TB and HIV Care

[Guest guest]

Invitation to participate in forging new tools for improving TB and HIV Care

Greetings,

The World Care Council branch in India warmly invites you to participate in its

development, and to help forge new tools for the TB and HIV community.

As you probably know, we are a NGO of people living with the diseases, and we

strive to raise the standards of care by developing both policy 'on high' and

innovative practices on the ground by implementing a RIghts & Responsibilities

methodology. For more information, please visit our new website

(www.worldcarecouncil.org) which has just gone online yesterday and will grow

dynamically over the coming weeks and months.

Now, as we are substantially gearing up our initiatives in India, we would like

you to participate in one or both of two areas of development outlined briefly

below.

1. Join the World Care Council's new Strategic and Technical Advisory Group

that is being constituted to provide a greater depth of knowledge and broader

expertise to our organization and actions. Although we have shown that we can

'drive forward' quite well, further inputs, critiques and suggestions from a

group of 'experts' would help us to navigate better the twists and turns of the

road to improving care for TB and HIV. The Strategic and Technical Advisory

Group will be a voluntary body functioning mostly by Internet on a monthly

basis. Participation will essentially require reading a one page progress report

and then providing inputs. Those who desire being more involved would be very

welcome, and various opportunities exist to do so. Please contact me at the

address below if joining our new Strategic and Technical Advisory Group is of

interest to you.

2. The World Care Council also invites you to participate in the development of

a new system of support and solidarity for TB Patients in India - a Hotline for

those who seek advice, assistance or just some friendly accompaniment through

the difficult months of treatment. For the first time, ex-patients have

organized a mechanism to support their peers, in the aim of reducing the

suffering and increasing adherence to treatment of those for whom a helping hand

might be beneficial. Some 400,000 people die from TB, a 'curable' disease,

every year in India, and TB is the greatest killer of PLHIV both here and

globally. For many of those on treatment, life is a real struggle to survive, so

we aim to provide some support to our peers.

As most patients do not have access to the internet, you can help forge this

needed tool by visiting http://www.worldcarecouncil.org/node/6 and downloading

the TB Hotline Posters, available in English and Hindi, printing a few out and

getting them posted onto the walls and bulletin boards of clinics, DOTS centres

and public places in your community. We are aiming to soon have the RNTCP and

NACO assist in the distribution, but to get the mechanism in gear quickly, we'd

be grateful for any assistance you could provide. We hope that you will lend a

hand to those who really need a helping hand.

Please feel free to contact me for further information, or to have us send hard

copies of the posters.

Warm thanks and best wishes,

Celina Menezes

President, World Care Council (Asia)

menezes@...

www.worldcarecouncil.org