Biography

Blessina Kumar heads the Global Coalition of TB Advocates (GCTA), which is in the forefront of ensuring a people-centred and rights-based TB response. She endeavors to bridge the community – practitioner divide through literacy at the grassroots level and policy advocacy at a macro level. For 18 years, Blessina’s work has focused on TB advocacy at national and global scope. She has built capacity of affected community members and advocated for their inclusion in policy and implementation bodies. GCTA’s strong advocacy highlighting the issue of stigma has contributed richly to addressing stigma and discrimination as a top global priority.