The official visit of guests from UNV Headquarter in Bonn (Germany) to Uzbekistan, Mr. Ghulam Isaczai–UNV Director of Programmes and Ms. Olga Devyatkin–UNV Portfolio Manager for Europe and CIS, started with attending the Forum on World TB Day on 24 of March, 2011 organized within the frame of UNDP/UNV Project “Empowering Communities through Local Volunteerism to address Poverty and Tuberculosis in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan” with the participation of the local partners and international partner organizations. The objective of the Forum held at Nukus Branch of Tashkent University of Informational Technologies was to promote the activities for the elimination and prevention of TB in the region, informing and encouraging the participation of the local government and international organizations in such significant deeds, as well as reinforcing the advocacy of health education on basic TB and its prevention among a wide range of populations in Karakalpakstan. The event was attended by the representatives of local government and several international organizations, as well as healthcare workers, UNV community volunteers, students and media workers.

After the Forum, official site visit trips were organized for the guests from Bonn accompanied by Mr. Marc Liberati–UNV Programme Officer in Uzbekistan, Mr. Bakhadur Paluaniyazov–UNDP Area Based Development in Karakalpakstan Project Manager, as well as the staff of UNDP/UNV TB project to the target Karauzyak and Muynak Districts of the project.

First stop, they visited the Karauzyak TB Dispensary, which was fully renovated by the UNDP Area Based Development Project (ABD) and the UNDP/UNV TB Project. The delegation gained a first-hand knowledge of the difference the project has thus far provided for TB patients in Karauzyak, suffering from one of the highest rate of TB cases in the region. Ghulam and Olga also took the time to speak to the dispensary personnel, patients, local community volunteer trainers and volunteers.

During the visit Mr. Ghulam Isaczai discussed with the medical staff about the condition before and after the reconstruction. There is no doubt that the community people have greatly benefited from the project as they no longer have to go for treatment to the district healthcare center anymore. The patients are also pleased with the improved medical service owing to which they feel much better. At the present, about 30 patients are getting treatment at the dispensary

The next day, on 25 of March 2011, Ghulam and Olga visited Muynak District to observe a training of newly mobilized Community Volunteers lead by a Community Volunteer Trainer featured to the right in blue. The guests participated in one session of the training. At the end of the session Mr. Ghulam Isaczai gave a speech in which he emphasized that UNV earnestly seeks to promote volunteerism in the region. “Through volunteerism the problems in the communities can be solved more efficiently since local people represented by volunteers will take active part in addressing them”, he noted in his speech. He also highlighted that volunteers of Karakalpakstan are contributing greatly to eliminating TB in the region by giving essential health education information on TB to community members and through prevention saving a lot of lives.

Olga and Ghulam also  visited a  Primary Healthcare Unit (PHU) “Ush-say”, which was fully renovated within the frame of UNDP ABD project. The delegation was shown medical equipment and TB health education materials published and provided by the UNDP/UNV TB project. Furthermore, within the UNDP/UNV TB project, trainings for preparation of Community Volunteers are organized in the project districts. This kind of synergy between ABD and the TB projects is fostering community development activities at a higher level. Towards the end of the visit the guests were taken to the local history museum of Muynak District as well as the ship cemetery, where they were closely immersed into the life and history of the district population.