RESTORE project launched in Zimbabwe

THRU ZIM has officially launched the RESTORE project following a three-day investigator meeting that convened partners, frontline health care workers, community representatives and key stakeholders.

RESTORE is funded by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases and is designed as an implementation research initiative focused on strengthening tuberculosis (TB) care through integrated, person-centred approaches.

Despite the interconnected needs of people affected by TB, essential services such as nutritional support, diabetes screening, mental health care and harm reduction are often delivered separately.

The meeting opened with remarks from Fungai Kavenga, who emphasised the importance of integrating chronic condition care within TB services, grounding innovation in the realities of frontline delivery, and ensuring that research remains aligned with national priorities. His remarks underscored the need for RESTORE to deliver not only rigorous evidence, but meaningful and sustainable change.

RESTORE seeks to address this fragmentation by embedding six integrated service components within routine TB care:

• Nutritional support

• Diabetes screening

• Mental health care

• Harm reduction services

• Peer support through exercise and health education

• Strengthened linkage within existing TB services

  
  

The project is being implemented in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, alongside city and provincial health authorities. Central to RESTORE’s design is the active involvement of communities affected by TB and the frontline health workers who deliver care.

The launch process began with a Theory of Change workshop held in collaboration with the TB Community Advisory Board. This ensured that the priorities and lived experiences of people affected by TB informed the project from the outset. Insights from this workshop directly shaped discussions during the investigator meeting, where community representatives — including members of the Zimbabwe National TB Survivors Network — contributed to planning around feasibility, acceptability and long-term sustainability.

The Meaning Behind RESTORE

The project’s name and logo draw inspiration from the Musasa tree, which turns a vivid red each spring as it renews itself — symbolising resilience, restoration and growth. The six leaves in the logo represent the project’s integrated service components, reflecting the interconnected systems approach at the heart of RESTORE. The initiative aims to strengthen existing health system structures rather than establish parallel services.

Throughout the meeting, several core principles were reinforced:

• Integration must reduce — not increase — the burden on frontline health workers.

• Interventions should reflect the realities and priorities of communities affected by TB.

• Programme design must prioritise sustainability and scalability within the national health system.

This collaborative and carefully considered start provides a strong foundation for implementation in the months ahead.

THRU ZIM acknowledges the contributions of its academic partners, including the University of Sydney, the TB Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and University College London, whose teams participated both in person and virtually.