DAPP Malawi responds to TB in the Mining Sector
Humana People to People, a network of development organizations working in the areas of international solidarity, cooperation and development participated in the European Development Days (EDD) that took place in Brussels from 7th to 8th April 2017.
The event brings together the development community annually to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovate solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
During the event, Humana People to People and its individual members shared multiple in-depth learning on health services for at-risk populations and renewable energy with the wider development community to spur and support greater collaboration and deliver better outcomes for developing and vulnerable communities.
DAPP Malawi a member of Humana People to People is implementing a program responding to Tuberculosis in 10 countries of Southern Africa. The programme known in short as TIMS [Tuberculosis (TB) In the Mining Sector] aims to increase TB case finding among the key populations (Miners, Ex – miners, their families and communities where they stay), access to information and education on TB prevention, and provide HIV Testing and Counselling, care and treatment to presumptive TB patients.
The project commenced in July 2016 with funding from Global Fund channeled through Wits Health Consortium (WHC). In Malawi, the TIMS initiative targets a population of 15,000 people who are to be screened during the 18-month project life in three districts namely Chiradzulu, Neno and Phalombe.
With approval from the Ministry of Health, the project supports people who are receiving TB/HIV treatment and conduct community engagements seeking to achieve adherence to treatment following the medical prescriptions endorsed. This is currently being through awareness and sensitization campaigns, TB screening and contact tracing of those whom the TB patients have been in contact with to see if they have been infected. 
DAPP Malawi in collaboration with the Ministry of Health trained field officers who carry out door-to-door awareness campaigns on TB symptoms, prevention, testing, and treatment adherence as well as TB stigma and discrimination. The officers conduct mapping of sentinel sites where mine-workers, ex-miners and their families live, encourage workshops at workplace and mining sites, train mineworkers as peer educators who in turn promote debates and trainings in the mining sites.
There has been an increase in case detection for TB and HIV in the mining sector amongst miners, ex-miners, their families and the communities in the three target districts with a total of 10,777 people screened for signs and symptoms of TB using predefined screening questions and 649 people have been referred to health facilities for further assessment and diagnosis by end of May 2017.
Humana People to People members have been at the forefront of global efforts to tackle some of the most significant development challenges for over three decades through new partnerships and collaborations with local communities, governments and other development actors.
