Trachoma Action Plans

Mapping provides authorities with the evidence of where public health-level interventions are needed to eliminate trachoma. It also triggers the recognition that effective and efficient planning must be initiated at the national level. This is a critical step, creating a meaningful intervention with a purposeful national goal – to eliminate trachoma, district by district.

A national Trachoma Action Plan (TAP) is usually developed during a 5-day workshop. The workshop is participatory, which means everyone who has a stake in an intervention is given a voice to decide together and act together.

National planning is guided by local data

A Trachoma Action Plan will accomplish the following:

Outline the path to trachoma elimination (with a nationally-appropriate target date)

• Use mapping data to generate annual milestones for implementation.
• Highlight gaps between current service delivery data and annual targets needed to reach elimination.

Develop the messages necessary for advocacy

• Provide metrics to generate compelling statements regarding needs and benefits.
• Clearly articulate actions and resources needed to reach elimination.

Drive stakeholder alignment

• Bring together interested parties in a collaborative planning process.
• Guide country leadership in critical evaluation of existing partner support and stakeholder activities.

As you watch this video ask yourself: What documents and data need to be compiled by the national trachoma coordinator (MoH level) before the TAP workshop to ensure that the workshop would be successful?