In order to raise awareness about TB/HIV co-infection, the Partners Zimbabwe National Partnership Platform Initiative (NPPI) embarked on an information, dialogue and advocacy platform jointly managed by five organisations. An issue mapping workshop, which brought together HIV and AIDS civil society organizations working on different aspects of the AIDS response, was conducted.
 

Partnership members identified drug resistant TB as major concern that had been largely ignored by civil society organisations working on HIV and AIDS in spite of  increased rates of HIV and TB co-infection in Zimbabwe and in the sub-Saharan African region. Although the government has been providing free TB treatment there has been little collaboration with civil society organisations. Due to the medical nature of TB and TB treatment, many AIDS civil society organizations have been reluctant to lobby around the issue.

Bringing the partners together was therefore a key first step to establishing ways to lobby for better TB services, particularly in light of the fact that many people living with HIV are likely to become TB infected. Working in partnership and utilizing comparative strengths, the organisations designed and disseminated advocacy material on TB/HIV in electronic and print formats. This process has helped to raise the profile of TB in Zimbabwe.

In its totality, Partners Zimbabwe combines documentation of local knowledge, translation of information, capacity building amongst those affected to write and analyze, ensures high quality dialogue, media outreach and innovative information, and social networking tools. The partnership sent a group of Key Correspondents (KC), citizen journalists coordinated by Health & Development Networks, to the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease held in South Africa to raise international awareness about the TB/HIV problem in Zimbabwe.