KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is proud to be the lead partner of the Challenge TB project, the primary mechanism for implementing the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) vision of a world free of TB, and for supporting the global End TB Strategy. These strategies set clear targets for reduction of death and disease due to tuberculosis. In addition they aim at reducing catastrophic costs for affected families.
To achieve these goals , the project provides global technical leadership and support to national TB programs and other in-country partners. Challenge TB also contributes to TB and HIV activities under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The 5-year project is implemented by a coalition of nine organizations, led by KNCV. These include American Thoracic Society, FHI 360, Interactive Research & Development, the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Foundation, Management Sciences for Health, PATH, The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the World Health Organization.
Challenge TB is implemented in 22 high burden countries. Over the course of the first three years the project has contributed to the treatment of more than 9.5 million TB patients, among whom 172,597 patients with drug-resistant TB. In the same period the percentage of TB/HIV patients on anti-retroviral therapy for HIV increased from 77 to 86 percent.