It's time to End Drug-Resistant TB in Children (2020)

It’s time to End Drug-Resistant TB in Children (2020)

It’s a morning reception of tablets in the children's ward of National center of Phthisiology on tuberculosis control in Bishkek.Taking pills is goes strictly under the supervision of a nurse. She prepares the right pills and makes sure that the children swallow them. © Mary Gelman / VII.

The Project

A multimedia campaign, in collaboration with Stop TB Partnership, designed to enhance global awareness and advocate for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

The campaign featured the work of VII contributing photographers and videographers: Mary Gelman, Ashley Gilbertson, Ziyah Gafić, and Maggie Steber. Their journeys to Haiti, Kyrgyzstan, and Nigeria documented the challenges faced by children with drug-resistant tuberculosis and the pressing need for innovative tools to diagnose and combat TB—a disease that, despite being treatable and curable, continues to claim young lives.

Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF) leads the Pediatric Drug-Resistant TB Initiative, ensuring that children affected by this formidable disease can access the most advanced treatments in a place where there has been a historical absence of child-specific medicine.

This facility is dedicated to changing the narrative of administering adult-formulated drugs to children with the launch of new pediatric medicines tailored to treat drug-resistant TB.

Haiti: Fighting drug-resistant TB in children

Kyrgyzstan: Fighting drug-resistant TB in children

Nigeria: Fighting drug-resistant TB in children

Meder and his son Ramiz photographed in a waiting room in the children's ward of the National Center of Phthisiology for Tuberculosis Control in Bishkek. They have been living at the center for about four months. Ramiz contracted tuberculosis from his mother.

Lunch time at the National Center of Phthisiology for Tuberculosis Control in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Eliza and her son Ariet return to the hospital after taking a walk. Ariet contracted tuberculosis after his Grandmother fell sick with the disease. They were scared and shocked. They came from another city to Bishkek to be treated and have been living in the hospital for four months.

A workstation in the National Center of Phthisiology Laboratory for Tuberculosis Control in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

A doctor photographed in the main hall at the Central Hospital against tuberculosis in the village of Archaly, Kyrgyzstan.

A doctor examines a patient at the Central Hospital against tuberculosis in the village of Archaly, Kyrgyzstan.

Anara and her mother photographed in their kitchen in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Anara underwent a successful one-year treatment for tuberculosis.

BO City, SIERRA LEONE - December 12th, 2018: Scenes from the neonatal care unit at the regional hospital in the city of Bo, Southern province of Sierra Leone. The neonatal care has been fully furnished and equipped thanks to UNICEF support. Reducing maternal deaths and infant mortality is one of the priorities of the UNICEF operation in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone ranks very high with extremely high child and maternal mortality. Poeverty, disease outbreaks and devastating recent civil war are major contributors to the child and maternal mortality. ©Photo by Franco Pagetti/VII for UNICEF

UNICEF: “Newborn survivability” Sierra Leone (2018)

VII Photo collaborated with UNICEF to produce a communication package highlighting the crucial role of child and newborn health in the welfare and growth of communities in West and Central Africa.

A conceptual portrait of Hala, 16, and her sister in one of their rooms of their house in Za-atari Refugee Camp, Jordan, on 7 April 2021. The overlay showcases Whasapp messages conveying the latest updates to her coursework. Hala communicates with her classmates through WhatsApp to assist them in the transition to digital learning. “I taught my siblings and schoolmates ways to properly switch the computer on and off and ways to use programs, such as Windows and Excel. My neighbours also used to come to my house because they had no knowledge of how to use a computer, and I helped them operate a computer, use some of its programs, email and surf the internet.” ©Mary Gelman / VII.

UNICEF: Tech Trailblazers (2021)

In this UNICEF project, VII contributing photographer Mary Gelman captures the stories of eight young women spanning Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, shedding light on the opportunities available for women and girls in the technology sector.