Apply for Community-Based TB Prevention and Care (Ghana)

Deadline: 16-Sep-2026

UNICEF Ghana is seeking a qualified civil society organization (CSO) or non-governmental organization (NGO) to strengthen community-based tuberculosis (TB) prevention, screening, contact tracing, referral, and linkage to care in selected high-burden areas of Ghana. The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Control Programme, aims to improve early identification of TB, diagnostic completion, referral, and timely access to treatment. Particular attention will be given to children, household contacts, and underserved populations facing barriers to TB prevention and treatment services. What Is the UNICEF Ghana TB Partnership? The opportunity is designed to strengthen community-based approaches to TB prevention and case identification. Undetected TB cases can contribute to continued transmission while delaying diagnosis and treatment. Community-based interventions can help identify people with symptoms or exposure risks earlier and connect them with appropriate health services. UNICEF is therefore seeking an experienced CSO/NGO partner capable of supporting targeted TB activities in selected high-burden communities. Why Is Community-Based TB Action Important? Tuberculosis remains a significant public health challenge in Ghana. Some people with TB may remain undiagnosed because of: - Limited awareness of TB symptoms and prevention. - Difficulties accessing health services. - Delays in seeking diagnosis. - Barriers to completing diagnostic procedures. - Weak follow-up after referral. - Challenges reaching household contacts. - Limited access to services among underserved populations. Community-based activities can help address these barriers by bringing prevention, screening, referral, and follow-up closer to affected populations. What Are the Main Objectives? The initiative aims to strengthen the continuum from community-level TB awareness and screening through diagnosis and treatment.

Key objectives include:

- Increase community awareness of TB. - Expand targeted TB screening. - Strengthen identification of presumptive TB cases. - Improve contact tracing. - Support referral to appropriate diagnostic services. - Increase completion of TB diagnostic processes. - Strengthen linkage of confirmed cases to treatment. - Improve access for children and underserved populations. - Document implementation lessons and evidence for future scale-up. Who Will Benefit? The initiative particularly focuses on populations that may face greater barriers to accessing TB services.

Priority groups include:

- Children - Household contacts of TB cases - People with presumptive TB - People with confirmed TB - Underserved communities - Populations experiencing barriers to TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services The selected communities will be located in high-burden areas of Ghana. What Activities Could the CSO/NGO Partner Support? The selected organization is expected to contribute to community-based TB prevention and case-finding activities.

Potential areas of work include:

- Community awareness and education. - Targeted TB screening. - Identification of presumptive TB cases. - Household contact tracing. - Referral to diagnostic services. - Follow-up of referred individuals. - Support for diagnostic completion. - Linkage of confirmed cases to treatment. - Community engagement and mobilization. - Documentation of implementation experiences. - Identification of lessons that could support future program expansion. The partner should be able to coordinate community activities with relevant TB and health-system stakeholders. Strengthening TB Screening Community-based screening is an important component of the intervention. Screening activities should help identify people who may require further assessment and ensure that presumptive cases are connected with appropriate diagnostic services. A strong implementation approach should consider: - Targeting high-burden communities. - Reaching underserved populations. - Community mobilization. - Appropriate referral mechanisms. - Follow-up after referral. - Documentation of screening and referral outcomes. The objective is not simply to increase screening but to strengthen the pathway from screening to diagnosis and care. Strengthening Contact Tracing Contact tracing is another important component of the initiative. Household contacts of people with TB may require identification, screening, referral, and follow-up. Effective community-based contact tracing can help: - Identify people who may have been exposed to TB. - Increase access to screening. - Reduce missed opportunities for early identification. - Strengthen referrals. - Improve follow-up. - Ensure vulnerable contacts, including children, are not overlooked. The partner should have systems for maintaining appropriate records and coordinating referrals while protecting confidentiality and dignity. Improving Referral and Linkage to Care Identification alone is not sufficient if individuals do not complete diagnosis or reach treatment services. The initiative therefore emphasizes the full pathway: Community awareness → Screening → Identification → Referral → Diagnostic completion → Diagnosis → Linkage to treatment → Follow-up The CSO/NGO partner should help strengthen this pathway and address practical barriers that can result in people being lost between community screening and facility-based care. Focus on Children and Underserved Populations Children are an important priority within the initiative. Community activities should be designed to identify and appropriately refer children who may have been exposed to TB or require further assessment. The intervention also focuses on underserved populations that may experience barriers to accessing TB services. A strong proposal should explain how the organization will reach these groups through appropriate community engagement and referral mechanisms. Community Awareness and Engagement Community awareness is expecte