COVID-19 has accentuated how issues of equity across and within countries are critical determinants in access to services – with those already marginalized and vulnerable bearing the greatest burden of both the direct and indirect consequences of health threats. Focused effort is required to understand, learn and strengthen the in-country pandemic opportunities and challenges in engaging populations who are vulnerable to TB, which includes: people in prisons; internally displaced people, undocumented migrants and refugees, public transportation drivers, slum dwellers, and miners. Hence, with support from the Global Fund, the Activists Coalition on TB – Asia-Pacific (ACT! AP), hosted by APCASO, as well as ACT Africa, will be implementing the project, Community Engagement and Leadership in Epidemic Governance Response (CELG). CELG will support reaching broader health communities including those who are likely to be at the front line of identifying and responding to future pandemics with the added value of mitigating and ringfencing investments in HIV, TB, and malaria responses. The proposed interventions will reach TB key and vulnerable communities by working with pre-identified and existing TB networks and organizations partners to influence COVID-19 and pandemic decision-making platforms. ACT! AP will be supporting organisations in Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. ACT Africa, on the other hand, will be supporting organisations in Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Main activities under this project includes the following:

1. 1. Conduct community engagement assessments and mapping out TB key and vulnerable communities as well as organisations working with these specific populations, COVID-19 and pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR) processes and platforms and provide recommendations on how TB key and vulnerable communities can engage at various levels from grassroots, subnational, and national levels
   2. Development of a costed community engagement plan that includes TB key and vulnerable populations and national COVID-19 and PPPR platforms and processes with linkages to various constituencies
   3. Develop the capacity of TB key and vulnerable populations on Global Fund, Community, Rights, and Gender principles, approaches, and strategies, as well as needs and strategic advocacy
   4. Implement advocacy activities that establish linkages between representatives and constituencies on various platforms
   5. Engage in community-led monitoring and TB, COVID-19, and PPPR decision-making governance and accountability bodies
   6. Document and share lessons learned and key recommendations through the CELG Asia-Pacific Knowledge Hub