The sixth session of the CELG Webinar series was held last March 26, 2024. The session was held for all participating organizations to synthesize their experiences in working with last mile populations to strengthen their capacity to engage in health and pandemic governance. The results of the discussion are planned to be an integral content of a document to be developed by CELG.
Dr. Jeremiah Carlo Alejo first presented the outline of the manuscript being developed. The manuscript, which highlights key strategies and key action areas on LMP capacity strengthening, will have three parts: a background on the CELG project, strategies for strengthening LMP capacities to engage in health and pandemic governance, and initial results and lessons learned.
Once the content outline was approved by the participants, the webinar proceeded with the group discussion. Rachel Out Amponsah, Dr. Jeremiah Carlo Alejo, and Jeffry Acaba served as facilitators.
The discussion focused on identifying and describing key activities implemented by the CELG participating organizations with their identified LMPs related to the following strategies:
- Identifying and assessing last mile population health and pandemic governance engagement needs;
- LMP organizing and engagement capacity-building engagement activities: community/group organizing and leadership capacity development, education on health and organizational processes for engaging in governance, and planning engagement actions;
- Establishing and strengthening institutional platforms for LMP engagement in health and pandemic governance: stakeholder mapping, advocating for LMP engagement, and coordinating for institutional LPM engagement in health and pandemic governance and service delivery;
- Civil society organization capacity development for strengthening LMP engagement; and
- Other activities directed at decreasing LMP vulnerabilities to illness and the effects of pandemics.
Key points discussed during the session can be viewed on thos ink:
The participants were informed that their inputs during the discussion will be used together with the analysis of their LMP engagement plans in the development of the manuscript.
As a closing to the session and to the webinar series, Olive Mumba thanked and congratulated the participants on the richness of their experiences and their contributions to the welfare of TB LMPs in their communites. She expressed looking forward to the future of working further with the organizations and the LMPs as she informed them of the initial plans for the next phase of Global Fund initiatives for LMP engagement in health pandemic governance.