Global Community Partnerships

Partnering with Civil Society Globally to Achieve HBV Elimination

The Hepatitis B Foundation actively partners with civil society organizations in numerous countries toward hepatitis B elimination efforts. These partners have established trust in their communities and fully understand the needs in their respective regions. Given that viral hepatitis funding is challenging, we do what we can to help support our partners through financial assistance, when available, ongoing technical assistance and capacity building. The Hepatitis B Foundation also has supported global civil society meetings including the Africa Hepatitis Summit to bring individuals with lived experience to the forefront of viral hepatitis elimination discussions.

Partner organizations have been supported in expanding community awareness about hepatitis B, community-based testing and advocacy efforts in Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, China, Vietnam and Mali. Below you can learn more about the outreach initiatives in each of these countries.

The Hepatitis B Foundation and SOLDA are collaborating to identify partners across Africa working on hepatitis B. This survey is meant to gain a better understanding of where there are gaps that need to be filled and how to best work to address these gaps. Please complete the survey and feel free to share widely with your networks!

Please click on the button above to participate in the survey.

Conference on Liver Disease in Africa, Sept. 19-21, 2024, Cairo

The Hepatitis B Foundation was proud to endorse and attend the Conference on Liver Disease in Africa in Cairo Egypt last week as a premiere opportunity to learn, network and engage community, researchers, government officials and academic professionals working on hepatitis elimination and related health consequences in Africa. Africa faces once of the highest regional burdens of viral hepatitis in the world and the most significant health disparities related to accessing testing, management and treatment for hepatitis B. This consequently leads to a high burden of liver cancer across the region.

Catherine COLDA cropped Sept 2024

Dr. Catherine Freeland of the Hepatitis B Foundation

The Hepatitis B Foundation had five collaborative posters with attendees from the region including a poster on the Values and Preferences for Hepatitis B for individuals across Africa, results in partnership with the Society on Liver Disease in Africa (SOLDA) from a civil society landscaping survey across the continent, birth dose assessments in Delta State in partnership with the Hepatitis Advocacy Foundation and research on clinical trial participation. The Foundation also co-chaired a session focused on the community response to integration of hepatitis B activities within HIV settings on the first day of the meeting.

NIGERIA

Rise Against Hepatitis Global Initiative

Rise Against Hepatitis Global Initiative leadership sharing educational resources on hepatitis B in their local communities.

This project successfully improved awareness throughout Imo State, Nigeria to address knowledge gaps, and misconceptions, and foster community understanding of hepatitis B and its impact. This initiative focused on local community-based education utilizing the Hepatitis B Foundation's resources for African communities and also targeted efforts to improve awareness among youth. This project helped to grow the Anti-Hepatitis Club which encouraged youth to get involved in educating their local communities.

Janesco Development Initiative

Jenesco Development Initiative providing education using Hepatitis B Foundation’s resources to their local community.

Sensitization and screening sessions were conducted in three locations: Yola North, LCCN Cathedral Jimeta-Yola North and Maiha. Over 20 days in Yola North, 210 participants were sensitized on hepatitis B and the importance of getting tested for the disease through an interactive teaching method using a hepatitis B flip chart. The leadership provided resources for the activity, so roughly 210 participants were successfully screened and 40 were vaccinated. Also, sensitization sessions were conducted with the Sunday School Teachers Unit of the LCCN Cathedral, Nassarawo Jimeta-Yola Admawa state. A total of 46 people were sensitized to hepatitis B.

The leadership provided resources for the activity therefore roughly 45 members were screened and 56 vaccinated free. In Maiha, a similar education and screening event was conducted, with roughly 46 participants sensitized and 20 screened. Lastly, to celebrate World Hepatitis Day, a sensitization session was organized and carried out with Persons Living with Disabilities at their state office over the month of July. Over the month of July, a total of 120 people were sensitized on hepatitis B, and leadership provided resource for the screening of 101 members and vaccination of 56 members for free. On World Hepatitis Day, 77 people attended an educational event, and 67 were screened.

The Jeneso Development Initiative supported by the Hepatitis B Foundation worked to improve the uptake of hepatitis B screening and vaccination among the Rumde community in Nigeria through targeted outreach. Activities included radio sessions, provision of free hepatitis B testing and vaccination, and counseling sessions to raise awareness about hepatitis B and liver cancer. The following report highlights the goals and methods of the project along with key findings. Please read more here.

Hepatitis Advocacy Foundation

PHOTO 2024 05 06 15 43 21 2 Project Title: Exploring Opportunities to Strengthen Viral Hepatitis Response in Delta State: Community Pharmacists as Case Finders and Gate Keepers through the Implementation of a Novel HepMed-Access + Initiative

In Delta State, a significant gap exists between identifying viral hepatitis cases and connecting them to appropriate care, leaving many individuals undiagnosed and untreated. With an estimated 884,000 people living with viral hepatitis B and C in the state, it has become imperative to explore all possible avenues to reach the missing thousands and link them to the right care.One promising approach to address this gap is to collaborate with community pharmacists, who are often the first point of contact for patients and have built strong relationships with their communities over the years. Community pharmacists are well-positioned to identify cases, provide initial counseling, and refer patients to specialized care. By training and empowering these healthcare providers to identify cases and connect patients to person-centered care and follow-up, we can significantly strengthen our efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis in the state by 2026, as targeted.

To achieve this, both the HAF and the HBF will constitute a consortium to collaborate with the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Delta State Chapter for a successful implementation of this project. Thereafter, facilitate a 2-day capacity-building workshop for community pharmacists in Delta State to serve as first step for implantation. By empowering community pharmacists with these skills, we can expand our reach and impact, ensuring that more individuals receive the care they need to manage their condition and prevent complications. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate viral hepatitis in Delta State by 2026, and this collaboration is a crucial step towards achieving that goal.

UGANDA

Great Lakes Peace Center (GLPC): Building Peace to Bridge Nations

Uganda is one of the hard-hit both directly and indirectly by civil conflict, war, and internal civil conflicts notably the Lord’s Resistance Army, Allied Democratic Forces, NALU and many others. Kasese, Kabarole and the Rwenzori region being at the center of conflict due to the Congo border, GLPC comes in handy to build an enabling environment for Positive Peace starting with the Rwenzori region growing to the entire Great Lakes region. The vision of the Great Lakes Peace Center is to build a society that is peaceful and violence-free. Their mission is to empower communities, particularly young people, to take responsibility for their peace in the Great Lakes region.

	Objectives:
1.	To mentor youth both in school and out of school on peace and non-violent approaches.
2.	To inspire youth and their communities to take up dialogue as a means of conflict resolution.
3.	Economic empowerment and capacity building of youth and their communities.
4.	Fostering International understanding and peacebuilding through training and use of international Peace figures to change the mindsets of youth.
5.	Supporting the realization of sustainable development goals in the region through working with community youth groups and other groups in collaboration with international agencies.

National Organization for People Living with Hepatitis B in Uganda (NOPLHB)

The National Organization for People Living with Hepatitis B in Uganda (NOPLHB) is a national non-profit organization, established in 2012 by Ugandans living and affected by Hepatitis B. Since its inception, it has built capacities of 1,120 frontline health workers in the management and response, including treatment of hepatitis; engaged 1,500 stakeholders (religious leaders, cultural leaders, politicians, media personalities and patients in hepatitis prevention and advocacy efforts and 300 Village Health Teams been oriented on hepatitis to support communication health education and mobilization. Their vision is to build a Hepatitis B Free Society. The NOPLHB's mission is to become the largest organization fighting hepatitis B infection in Uganda and the region.

	Objectives:
1.	Advocacy towards elimination of viral hepatitis in Uganda.
2.	To collaborate with the Ministry of Health and global partners to strengthen health systems, support capacity building efforts and raise awareness of hepatitis B.
3.	Support economic empowerment of vulnerable populations.
4.	Improve the quality of life for people living with hepatitis B.

HBF’s Partnership with NOPLHB:

The Hepatitis B Foundation is proud to partner with the National Organization for People Living with Hepatitis B in Uganda (NOPLHB) to support their mission and objectives. As part of our collaborative efforts, we aim to share 30 stories of individuals affected by hepatitis B in Uganda through our #BtheVoice storytelling program. Through this project, we seek to amplify the voices of those living with hepatitis B, raise awareness about the impact of the disease, and advocate for greater support and resources for affected communities.

Through joint initiatives and collaborative projects, including the expansion of the #BtheVoice story bank with video stories, we strive to make a meaningful impact in the fight against hepatitis B and contribute to the health and well-being of communities in Uganda.

GHANA

Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana: The National Voice for Hepatitis Patients

The Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana seeks to promote awareness of the prevalence and incidence of viral hepatitis in Ghana, and to educate the public in the prevention of the spread of the virus and the available treatment options. We also provide care and psychosocial support to the infected and affected people and their families. In addition, it seeks to serve as the primary source of information for patients and their families. The majority of their work revolves around educating the public while providing basic healthcare services regarding HBV while also advocating for better services for people living with hepatitis.

	Objectives:
1.	To prevent Hepatitis B spread amongst people or patients and their families.
2.	To provide treatment, care, support and psychosocial support for infected and affected people and their families.
3.	Promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families and the general public.

Hepatitis Alliance of Ghana

The Hepatitis Alliance of Ghana (HAG) is a non-governmental organization operating in five out of 16 regions in Ghana to create a society free from viral hepatitis. The HAG aims to increase political will to implement the hepatitis national plan, increase knowledge amongst healthcare providers and Increase knowledge amongst selected communities. Their core functions include five areas of work: advocacy, patient support, awareness creation, capacity building and research. You may reference a list of HAG publications here.

	HAG Projects:
ο	Youth Hepafocus Project
ο	Zero Newborn Hepa-infection
ο	Help-4-Hep B & C Project
ο	Advocacy for Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination in Ghana
The project funding covered four areas: training of healthcare providers, advocacy to high level officials, policymakers, and media, production of culturally sensitive communication products, and outreach to students at the University of Ghana.
Project accomplishments: Organized a two-day workshop for midwives in the region on the topic “Reconceptualizing midwives’ role in preventing vertical transmission of hepatitis B in primary healthcare facilities.” Sixty midwives and seven nurses were in attendance. Met with government to discuss the need for the government of Ghana to prioritize the introduction of birth dose as part of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Formed an “Information, Education and Communication” (IEC) content developers’ team to create IEC materials on hepatitis B birth dose vaccination. Created an information desk at the University of Ghana campus to provide over 150 students with hepatitis B information through one-on-one interactions and group presentations.

Reaching the Unreached International

Project:	Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Among Rural Residents of Bosuama Community, Bono East, Ghana
Objective:	“Determine the prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B among rural residents of Bosuama community, Bono East, Ghana. No results yet.

MALI

Action pour le Développement de l'Initiative Locale - ONG ADILO

Local community members from Action pour le Développement de l'Initiative Locale sharing the hepatitis B resources.

STOP HEPATITIS B Campaign

Liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Malians. Second among women after cervical cancer (Association for Health and Development).
2 out of 10 pregnant women are infected with hepatitis B (Pr Youssouf TRAORE Gynecologist).

As a result of the program, 1,000 posters were printed and posted in health centers or distributed to communities; Translation of campaign materials into Manding language, One round table discussion with a doctor specializing in image and audio, of which 3,000,000 people were reached. The radio programs are broadcast for 6 months by local radio stations in local languages and have raised awareness among 15,000 people. The publication of videos, photos, messages on social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp) with 10 thousand people reached. A total of 70 door-to-door sensitization sessions carried out, with 1,000 people sensitized. Additionally, two days of organized voluntary screening, of which 300 people were screened.

Research & Programs