SAYWHAT Zimbabwe Students Tackling TB Stigma Through Creative Arts Recognized Amongst Other

By Wallace Mawire

The Stop TB Partnership has announced the winners of the 2024 community award, a global recognition celebrating groundbreaking efforts to address TB stigma through creative arts.
This year, the award with the largest financial prize designed specifically for TB communities received 32 submissions from 28 countries, showing the power of innovation and community-driven solutions.

The annual award is possible thanks to the joint efforts of the Humana People to People Foundation and the Stop TB Partnership.
The six winning organizations and artists are TBPeople Global and Paulina Siniatkina,Rekat Peduli Indonesia Foundation with Ani Herna Sari,Stop TB Partnership Ukraine and team members Yevheniya Kuvshynova, Valeriia Parkhomenko, Inna Osminina, Olena Vysotsʹka, and Valentina Shopina,Students And Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAY WHAT) and Denzel Tavonga Whata,Beza Posterity Development Organization, featuring creative performers Kadijah Mohamed, Fatuma Mohamed Ali, Mohamed Mashie, and Mohamed Awole and Caritas Tajikistan and Rahmat Nazri.

This year's theme, “Ending Stigma Through Creative Arts", highlights how innovative approaches, including performances, storytelling, film, comics, anime, and social media, can combat the stigma that continues to be a significant barrier to TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Jesper Wohlert from Humana People to People Foundation, the Stop TB Partnership Community Award co-sponsor, reflected, “We are very proud to co-sponsor the Stop TB Partnership Community Award for the fourth time, our six outstanding. winners challenge misconceptions, break down barriers, and give a platform to people affected by TB stigma.”

The award winner, Paulina Siniatkina from TBpeople, reflected on her experience with TB and how the loneliness and isolation were, for her and is, for many others, a more significant challenge than TB itself. That it is the stigma that kills, and that even for those who complete their treatment and are cured, the impact of stigma remains.

“Having a creative outlet to express the impact of stigma has been important for me as a TB survivor to process my experience—one of isolation, fear and dread. However, I also hope that through this work, everyone will gain insight into the impact of TB stigma. It motivates us all to end TB stigma, and it provides a sense of hope for all those people who are currently fighting to defeat TB.”
Illustration on Talking Tuberculosis to Children: Winners—Stop TB

Partnership Ukraine, featuring team members Yevheniya Kuvshynova, Valeriia Parkhomenko, Inna Osminina, Olena Vysotsʹka, and Valentina Shopina, brings youth-friendly communication to the forefront.

Other winners also brought unique perspectives and creativity to address TB stigma through various art forms. The Rekat Peduli Indonesia Foundation, a women-led TB survivor network, created an anime-inspired short film celebrating the journey of overcoming stigma through peer support. This powerful piece highlights the importance of solidarity and shared experiences in fostering resilience.

The Beza Posterity Development Organization developed a poignant film focusing on the pastoralist community in Ethiopia. The film emphasises the critical role of clan leaders in challenging stigma, particularly within marital relationships, showcasing how community leadership can drive acceptance and understanding.

The Stop TB Partnership Ukraine took an innovative approach with a comic book designed for youth living with TB in the context of conflict. The comic addresses misinformation and stresses the importance of supporting friends through treatment, blending creativity with critical health messaging.

From Zimbabwe, the Students And Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) delivered a moving piece of spoken word poetry. Their work powerfully captures the emotional toll of TB stigma while inspiring hope and determination to complete treatment.

Caritas Tajikistan contributed a heartfelt song celebrating stigma-free TB treatment and the dedication needed to overcome the disease. The melody calls for compassion, acceptance, and hope in TB care, resonating with communities emotionally.

The creative works reflect the winners’ shared commitment to amplifying the voices of TB-affected individuals and challenging stigma through the transformative power of art.

Complimenting the evening's theme, the Stop TB Partnership has scaled up its stigma-focused work in 2024, including supporting Stigma Assessments in 22 countries and organizing three hackathons to develop practical solutions to end Stigma.

“For Stop TB Partnership and our friends at Humana, this award holds a special place where we recognize people who are often not given the recognition they deserve or are not encouraged to keep going. I am so happy with this year's theme, and I deeply congratulate all six winners, all the entrants and all the TB communities working daily to fight stigma.” - Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director, Stop TB.