Support 150 Tuberculosis Patients in Moldova

Galina’s journey to being a peer supporter, also called a treatment supporter or moderator, was not by chance. It came about because of her son, Igor, and it is continuing after Igor passed away in 2020. Our GlobalGiving donors have seen Galina featured in Speranta Terrei’s reports, she is the our longest serving moderator.

Nearly 20 years ago, when her only child Igor was living with HIV, he fell ill with tuberculosis (TB). Together, they walked a long and difficult path of treatment, anxiety, and hope and the fight for life. Galina says Speranta Terrei’s immense support at the time gave Igor the will to persevere and complete TB treatment. Later, he himself began to help other TB patients within the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) program.

Galina says, “I was always by his side. I saw how crucial it is for a person in a difficult moment to hear not just the doctor’s advice, but simple words from someone who understands their fears and feelings. Igor and I worked together and I saw how genuine care helps patients to not give up and to continue their treatment.” Galina was crushed when she lost her son, but she decided to continue the work that was so important to both of them. 

Galina, along with Speranta Terrei’s president, Feodora, and program manager, Irina, shared her experience at the conference, “Patient-Centered Care: Goals and Reality” in Riga, Latvia, in August. The Latvian Society against Tuberculosis (LSATB) and the Centre of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases of Riga East University Hospital organized the conference in cooperation with the Norwegian organization LHL International. Galina’s presentation on her own journey was emotional, her loss ever present. She spoke of how she approaches peer support, saying, “In my work, I try above all to be a human being standing beside another human being. I know that everyone has their own story, their own struggles. That is why I try to offer support, help find solutions, and remind patients that illness is not the end of the road."

Irina's presentation was on Speranta Terrei’s model of individualized peer support, assisting TB patients in treatment through home visits, daily communication, and psychosocial support and paying a small allowance to moderators. Speranta Terrei gained practical insights from presentations of other attendees on the many aspects of patient-centered TB care strategies in Latvia, Poland, Finland, and Moldova. For example, Evita from the Latvian Society against Tuberculosis explained how non-verbal communication can steer interactions with patients and Izle from the Latvian Society against Tuberculosis showed breathing and voice exercises to improve lung function. Attendees practiced these exercises with enthusiasm. Magdalena from the Foundation of Social Education in Poland spoke on universal, free, and anonymous services alongside national distribution of free home HIV test kits.

In thanking our GlobalGiving donors, Speranta Terrei stands by the concluding words of Galina’s presentation: “Illness can take away health, but it cannot take away dignity and the ability to help others.” We thank our donors for helping us uphold the dignity of TB patients.