Connecting care in a community forgotten: a poetic representation of tuberculosis prevention, detection, and treatment for women in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands

This found poem seeks to connect care as we work towards a fairer world. Barriers to preventing, detecting and treating tuberculosis (TB) in mountainous East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands persist, while gendered issues remain largely unexplored. A qualitative study explored women’s experience of TB in East Kwaio, using the Melanesian method of tok stori. Twenty-four women and 12 men shared about women’s experience of living with TB and caring for someone with TB. Tok storis were audio recorded and orally analysed. While cultural concepts of love and community promote support, systematic health system exclusion and geographic isolation compound health challenges. These findings are presented in a found poem.