The partnership’s overall goal is to establish long-term financial stability for the Riga, Latvia MDR-TB Center of Excellence. Specific objectives are to:

• Deliver a management training curriculum to 6 key members of the faculty and staff of the Latvia MDR-TB Center of Excellence in Riga by September 2003.
• Develop a business plan for the MDR-TB Center in Latvia by September 2003.

Capacity Building

• During their first exchange to Riga in October, the Arkansas partners conducted an assessment of the program, services, and staff assignments at the TB Center; studied the Center’s current management/business operations; discussed the administrative and business management concerns of the TB Center staff; and studied the medical mission of the organization.
• Partners designed a custom management training program. Thirteen University of Arkansas faculty members were identified to provide the 48 hours of instruction in management training, and appropriate books and software for the course were identified and purchased.

Skills Building

• In February, six Latvian partners participated in a two-week management training course in Little Rock. Partners learned about organization leadership -- including mission statements and goals -- and sustainability strategies such as fundraising, funded research programs, volunteerism, and marketing.
• Approximately 17 hours of the business management training addressed business plan development and 20 percent of the written plan was drafted during the training.

• As of February 2003, the partnership has had a total of 3 exchanges involving 6 person trips to Little Rock and 8 to Riga.