Anti-TB Champion Profiles

Thematic Monday!

At the Nature Network we cannot wait to bring you an experience from over 400 Anti-TB Champions we hope to bring their perspectives on life, COVID-19, TB, HIV, Malaria and other aspects of wellness.

Stigma needs to be kicked out of our communities, living conditions need to be improved, universal health coverage must serve all. That way we can fight say, TB and eradicate it by 2030.

Meet a formidable Anti-TB Champion sharing a deep insight into what works in Africa if we ever want to eradicate TB.

COVID-19: The good uses of food; The Nature Network Shows Gratefulness and Shares Compassionately

At the Nature Network,

we strive to say thank you to all those who support our initiative.

We are following the COVID-19 restrictions to the letter.

But as a social support organisation this also means to tailor our work to suit the daily needs of our beneficiaries. We have to lobby for support on a daily basis to feed about 100-250 people who reach out to us. Some are bed-ridden, some have chronic illnesses to care for and others are in need of counselling and guidance following traumas.

Our safe space is also a recreation space; a livelihood promotion centre and a home. We are so grateful to all those who provide us with support to reach out to over 170 beneficiaries. Being a mother at the Nature Network is a big responsibility. A responsibility I could not bear alone. If it were not for the entire Nature Network team, I would have been ineffective but I am not. We work as a team and through the smiles, the innovations and compassionate heart we reach out to others. We share the food we get among ourselves and other people. But what is food?

Food is a substance out of which satisfies our hunger,

food is a substance out of which we get nutritious elements,

the nutritious elements boost our immunity,

food gives us energy to do,

food gives us the essence to be,

food is security,

food reassures,

food keeps us at home,

food enables us reach out to others,

food brings people together,

food strengthens bonds,

food is unifies,

Food provides the substance the body uses to make us lively, energised and active.

Food provides substances upon which our immunity is built.

It is this immunity added to proper hygiene that makes our bodies stronger. It makes them withstand germs which if we allowed to attack us, we would be vulnerable to COVID-19, TB, HIV, Malaria and other illnesses. Food makes us continue doing our work effectively.

We dedicate time to reach out to those who are ill,

we provide space for them to heal,

we make our safe space a conducive space for play,

we engage in livelihood projects like poultry,

we are active and creative,

we are grateful to you,

So, you my friend who supports our cause,

please continue to make our life stay stronger.

Thank you so much!

Nature Network, a Profile

What:

We are a Kenya -based Transgender-Led, Refugee social support safe space and we use Family-Based Therapy activities to build a context stimulating healing, agency, autonomy, self-belief, self-determination and self-preservation. We enhance continued humanization of refugees by highlighting opportunities for participation in daily activities of life through planned community activities. We promote and advocate for protection of rights and dignity of refugees irrespective of status, origins and we provide navigation services including accompanying those who have to keep their appointments at health facilities regularly. We promote tiering, linkage and referral services uptake. We have been a landmark facility and a first point of contact for many refugees since 2015.

When:

Nature Network was formally launched in 2015 but it was incubated in 2014.

What else we do:

1.      Engage in mobilization activities for refugees to attend or benefit from programmatic activities such as; awareness raising, information raising, planned activities, health education, human rights orientation, skills improvement.

2.      Provide space for dignity-affirmation and self-esteem enhancement among LGBTIQQ refugees.

3.        Engage in livelihood implementation to improve economic and skills development for LGBTIQQ refugees.

The plan:

Vision: We hope to reach 700-1,000 beneficiaries by July 2020

Goal: To leverage member participation in self-care and quality life promotion

Mission: To continue being the space of excellence in promoting contexts for a fulfilling life

Long Term Objective: To catalyze and stimulate action for health/wellness seeking practices among members, beneficiaries and society at large

Short Term Objective: To ensure contexts in which the following are addressed:

^Ø  TB, HIV, Malaria Prevention (THIMAP)

^Ø   Protection, Security, Safety and Rights Awareness (PASSRA)

^Ø   Gender-based Violence and Prevention (GEBAVAP)

^Ø   Disability Assistance and Drug Use Rehabilitation (DADURE)

^Ø   Mental Health Promotion (MEHEP)

^Ø   Livelihood and Income Generation Activities’ promotion (LIGAP)

The Logic Framework

SN	Objectives	Action		Outcomes/Remarks
1	TB, HIV, Malaria Prevention and	1.	Promote Universal Testing  and	-Ensure we engage in activities that promote Universal Testing
			Treatment (UTAT)
	Eradication	2.	The Cascades: Testing; Treatment;	and Treatment (UTAT)
			Viral Suppression	-Ensure we plan for promotion of prevention programmes that
		3.	Early Testing; Complete Treatment ;
			Case finding for Drug Resistant TB	entrench the Cascades: Testing; Treatment; Viral Suppression
		4.	Mosquito net; Spraying; Complete	- Plan and ensure early Testing; Complete Treatment ; Case
			Treatment
				finding for Drug Resistant TB
				-Promote Malaria Prevention through distribution of Mosquito net;
				Spraying; Complete Treatment
2	Protection And Rights Awareness	1.	Personal protection, Security and	-Promote Personal protection, Security and Safety
			Safety
		2.	Child Protection	- Plan for Child Protection
		3.	Women and Men Protection
				-Plan for Women and Men Protection
3	Gender-based Violence Prevention	1.	UN Observances	-Elimination of Violence against women
		2.	Sustainable Development Goals	-Eradication of Female Genital Cutting
				-Promotion of IEC to raise awareness
4	Disability Assistance and Drug Use	1.	Identify, Link and Follow up to	-Planned activities to Identify, Link and Follow up to ensure
			ensure rehabilitation
	Rehabilitation (DADURE)	2.	Health Talks	rehabilitation
		3.	Outreaches	-Planned community Health Talks
				-Planned Outreaches
5	Mental Health Promotion (MEHEP)	1.	Psychosocial sessions	-Planned Psychosocial sessions
		2.	The planned recreation activities
		3.	Mental Strengthening and upliftment	-Planned recreation activities
			sessions

		4.	Counselling and Guidance sessions	-Planned Mental Strengthening and upliftment sessions
		5.	Life Planning Talk Sessions
				-Planned Counselling and Guidance sessions
				-Planned Life Planning Talk Sessions
6	Livelihood and Income Generation	1.	Entrepreneurial skills development	-Planned Entrepreneurial skills development
		2.	Book keeping and Finance literacy
	Activities’ promotion (LIGAP)	3.	Income Generating Activities	-Planned Book keeping and Finance literacy
				-Planned Income Generating Activities

So the above highlights the actionable areas within which our work for the entire year will fall.

There are six programme areas and these are:

^Ø    TB, HIV, Malaria Prevention (THIMAP)

^Ø   Protection, Security, Safety and Rights Awareness (PASSRA)

^Ø   Gender-based Violence and Prevention (GEBAVAP)

^Ø   Disability Assistance and Drug Use Rehabilitation (DADURE)

^Ø   Mental Health Promotion (MEHEP)

^Ø   Livelihood and Income Generation Activities’ promotion (LIGAP)

It is our hope that this will drive the policy, programming and planning as we implement activities; solicit for support; implement activities; and build networks.