Target Tuberculosis

Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi is faced with high levels of poverty and woefully short life expectancy. 80% of the population live in rural areas and work as subsistence farmers or workers on large plantations – predominantly tobacco, tea and sugar.

TB/HIV co-infection, together with such high levels of poverty, has contributed to the steady rise in new TB cases in the country.

Just over 40% of TB cases in Malawi are currently being identified, so  there is an urgent need to actively find more people affected by TB and to link them up to treatment to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce unnecessary suffering.

Target TB works in partnership with a local Malawian organisation in Ntcheu district – the Sue Ryder Foundation in Malawi (SRFIM). Together we aim to strengthen awareness about TB and improve access to TB health services among rural communities. We support the training of community volunteers, government health workers and traditional healers to provide TB education, identify people with TB symptoms and link them to local government testing facilities and lifesaving treatment.

74% of Malawians live in poverty on less than $1.25 dollars a day.

Average life expectancy in Malawi is tragically between 52-54 years old.

Malawi has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, and 77% of TB patients are also HIV positive.

TB mortality is also high in Malawi with around 14,000 deaths each year (11,000 are also HIV positive).

We deliver life-saving health education in 30 after-school clubs for primary school children. Here, we use innovative methods, such as drama, song and sport to raise awareness about TB and HIV and we give out information to take home to their families.

People living in poverty in rural areas often can't access testing and treatment for TB - if undiagnosed, TB can be fatal. We set up sputum collection points in villages, and train local volunteers to collect and transport samples for diagnosis.

We train health workers and community volunteers to provide TB patients in their local area with all the necessary support and encouragement they need to complete the often difficult 6-8 months of treatment, until they are fully cured of TB.

Health education is the building block of all TB control programmes. We put on large scale meetings and shows, with music and drama, films, poetry, personal stories etc right in the heart of communities to help stop the rapid spread of tuberculosis.