From Awareness to Action: How REACH is Strengthening Community Leadership for Faster DR-TB Cures in India
Ending drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) requires more than new medicines. It requires informed communities, trusted voices, and systems that respond to people’s real needs.
In India, REACH is showing how community-led approaches can accelerate access to shorter, more effective DR-TB treatments while strengthening the overall TB response.
Through a multi-state initiative, REACH has focused on building the capacity of TB Champions, many of them survivors, to lead awareness, support patients, and bridge gaps between communities and health systems.
Building Knowledge, Confidence, and Leadership
At the core of this work are 102 trained TB Champions. These Champions participated in structured workshops designed to simplify complex DR-TB concepts and equip them to communicate effectively within their communities.
These training courses were not just technical. They were deeply personal. Through storytelling, peer learning, and practical exercises, TB Champions gained the confidence to turn knowledge into action.
About the TB Champions
65% are women
25% are DR-TB survivors
Champions represent five different states
As one participant, Neera Devi, shared:
“This workshop allowed me to learn new aspects of DR-TB and share my story so stigma and loneliness can be addressed collectively.”
Turning Knowledge into Community Action
Following the training, TB Champions spread into action to quickly multiply the impact. These Champions have since led 2,370 community awareness meetings, reaching tens of thousands of people across vulnerable settings such as villages, slums, and schools.
Their approach focused on using simple, relatable language, addressing stigma and misconceptions, explaining newer treatment options like BPaL/M, connecting people to free TB services
This grassroots engagement revealed an important insight.
While general TB awareness is relatively high, knowledge gaps still exist, especially around symptoms and DR-TB treatment options.
For example:
Only 51% could identify key TB symptoms
Just 38.1% had heard of shorter DR-TB regimens like BPaL/M
This highlighted a critical challenge and opportunity for the global TB response. More and deeper awareness building was needed to translate the availability of new treatments into impact!
Community-Led Campaigns Driving Reach and Engagement
To expand awareness further, REACH launched a community campaign built around a simple but powerful message of End Stigma, End TB.
Led by TB Champions, the campaign combined social media outreach with on-ground engagement. This included community discussions, participation in local events, and peer storytelling.
In total, 9,144 people were reached, while TB Champions strengthened their digital advocacy skills and expanded their influence beyond their immediate communities.
Peer Support: Strengthening the Treatment Journey
Beyond awareness, REACH places strong emphasis on peer support, a vital but often overlooked part of DR-TB care.
TB Champions were positioned across six DR-TB centres, where they provided
Emotional and psychosocial support
Treatment guidance and adherence support
Ongoing follow-ups for patients and families
Over a six-month period
433 people with DR-TB were supported
303 of them were on BPaL/M regimens
This support helped patients navigate treatment and combat stigma, financial challenges, and mental health pressures.
Improving Treatment Experience with BPaL/M
Across both communities and health facilities, the BPaL/M regimens were consistently seen as a major improvement over older treatments.
Patients and providers highlighted benefits, including:
Shorter treatment duration
Reduced pill burden
Better tolerability
Improved adherence
For many, this meant a more manageable treatment journey and a faster return to daily life.
Empowerment Beyond Health
The impact of this initiative goes beyond treatment outcomes.
TB Champions reported increased confidence, stronger leadership skills, and greater ability to engage with both communities and health systems.
Stories like that of Veeralakshmi, a TB Champion providing continuous peer support, show how lived experience can become a powerful force for change.
A Model for Accelerating Access
REACH’s work reinforces a key lesson.
Access does not happen automatically. It is built through trust, community engagement, and sustained support.
From awareness campaigns to peer support systems, this initiative shows how community leadership can:
Improve treatment uptake
Strengthen adherence
Make health systems more responsive
The Way Forward
As countries scale up shorter DR-TB regimens, the role of communities cannot be an afterthought.
They mustn’t view TB affected communities as just beneficiaries of care, but rather as potential health system partners and drivers of impact and change.
This is what Fast Track the Cure believes and why we help TB affected communities raise awareness, strengthen their voices, and drive faster access to new TB cures.
Fast Track the Cure and REACH work together because ending TB is not just about innovation—it’s about getting those innovations to those who can benefit from them as fast as you can .