During the COVID-19 pandemic a team of around 200 women fanned out into the recesses of the State and helped hundreds of people access treatment for tuberculosis.
The women, who had themselves recovered from TB infection, braved stigma and taught their community to overcome its fear of the disease.
A short film and a coffee table book has acknowledged the women TB leaders and their achievements. The film gives a peek into a few women’s lives — their struggle and their fears and how they overcame them.
REACH, an organisation working to eliminate tuberculosis for over two decades, has published the book and made the film. The film and book — Saadhika Vaa Penne — were released to commemorate international women’s day celebrated on March 8.
Ramya Ananthakrishnan, director of REACH said the women TB leaders were trained in early 2020 and assigned a TB facility each. “They accompanied people with symptoms to the lab, helped them get tested and allayed their fears. They became the face of TB in their communities, impervious to any associated stigma. Today, they are confidants for people with TB and the community at large,” she said.
“This cadre of women TB leaders is very special to us as a women-majority organisation. Through this film we want to not only convey their sincerity and commitment in supporting TB-affected communities, but also describe their own personal journeys of empowerment. Today, we are proud that each of the over 120 women TB leaders we have worked with are recognised health leaders in their communities,” she added.
REACH had organised a two-year project supported by Geneva-based Stop TB Partnership. Under the project 3,000 of the over 1.2 million people screened were diagnosed with TB.
Asha Frederic, State TB officer, in her message in the book said the Saadhikka Vaa Penne project is being implemented in four districts in the State. So far nearly 15 lakh people had been screened and 84,000 had been found to show symptoms.
