Press Release:

The Africa Coalition on Tuberculosis (ACT!), whose inception was the result of a Declaration made in Washington, DC, USA in March 2012, kicked off activities at a week-long planning meeting in June in Tirano, Italy. Founding members of the coalition include tuberculosis (TB) advocates representing organizations in Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, with plans to expand and include all of Africa as the organization grows.

ACT!’s mission is to value and consolidate the power within communities throughout Africa to end the injustice of TB, a curable disease from which millions of our people suffer and die each year. ACT! will enable infected and affected communities to advocate for universal access to TB services by enhancing advocacy skills, knowledge tools and opportunities to contribute to and hold all stakeholders accountable for achieving a TB-free Africa.

Community advocates from Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda gathered in Tirano, Italy, from June 4-9, 2012, to develop the coalition strategic plan, which included inauguration of the leadership to enable kick off of regional TB activities.

The Coalition Task Force elected an Executive Committee that includes the President, Vice President, Secretary, Vice Secretary and Treasurer who will direct the affairs of the coalition for two years. This exercise commenced the regional one-year implementation of TB Advocacy in line with the mission and vision of the coalition and working towards achieving the global Stop TB targets.

This strategic planning meeting of the coalition was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Stop TB Partnership, RESULTS and PATH.

Albert Makone, Community Representative for the Working Group on New TB Drugs, is a member of ACT!.

For more information, please visit the ACT! Website at: http://www.aidsportal.org/web/acsm/africa-coalition-on-tb.

All correspondence to the Coalition can be emailed to: africotb@gmail.com.