ICROSS International has been implementing public health programmes for nearly 40 years. As a dynamic learning organisation, an important priority is to evaluate and assess the impact of programmes and innovations over time. Since 1981, ICROSS has continually published in the world’s leading scientific journals.

A vital part of our work is to share an understanding of applied operational field research and apply the highest International standards. We are building research networks and capabilities as part of our five-year strategic plan 2016-2020. We are also training a new generation of young researchers in Africa and Asia in effective methodologies and best practice in scientific research.

For over 38 years, ICROSS has focused on reproductive health care as part of a dynamic health improvement strategy targeting co-ordinated school health promotion. The first key element being an ICROSS prevention program is integrating management and health support systems. This is based on creating healthy schools with nutritional support and close family community involvement. since 1983. ICROSS has been involved in pioneering effective public health programmes, integrating long term family planning with community ownership of public health intervention in their area. In 1993, we integrated our family planning programmes into long term mother and child health care.  Safe motherhood remains at the centre of our public health services since the early 1980s.

Following this week’s workshop ICROSS updated programme ​ ​teams on the latest WHO web platform for data and statistics and synthesis for information it also updated teams on the latest international prevention measures including Malaria prevalence and the historic launch​ of malaria vaccine pilot studies. This initiative was launched at the end of April in​ Kenya, ​ the most significant Malaria prevention strategy of recent decades.

The Co-founder of the International Community for Relief of Starvation and Suffering, ICROSS,  has  died at the age of  102.  Dr Joseph Barnes MD created ICROSS with Dr Michael Meegan in 1979.   Before his work with ICROSS he has already spent 4 decades in Africa and round the World serving  the poorest of the poor.  He was Knighted by the Pope for  his work in then the Biafran war for services to  humanity. 
 

On 10 February the Government declared a national drought emergency, with 23 of 47 counties affected. The number of food insecure people more than doubled – from 1.3 million to 2.7 million. Some 357,285 children and pregnant and lactating mothers are acutely malnourished. All the  nutritional data indicates the  over 20% of children and 14%  of mothers are malnourished. See ..Drought to intensify in Kenya in 2017, new early warning system showshttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-drought-idUSKBN1421WH

ICROSS has just completed a team workshop on the UN sustainable development  goals  which are detailed in depth athttp://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

These goals can only be attained through multi lateral, bilateral and global network partnerships. For over thirty years ICROSS has  been developing close working relationships with International associations, organisations, lobby groups, networks and campaign initiatives. Equally important ICROSS has  developed long term partnerships with communities and local groups at village level.

This week ICROSS is working with partners and colleagues in redefining  and updating our  priority areas of locally owned development initiatives. 
 

Our  rights based approach  continues to campaign and lobby as well as implement programmes on the ground.  For 38 years this month ICROSS has been building long term sustainable programmes meeting  priorities set by local communities. 

ICROSS has focused on 3 long term outcomes in our Maternal Child Health services which were  developed together with Professor Joe Barnes, Co-Founder of ICROSS and Professor David Morley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Morley_(paediatrician)

ICROSS for the last 30 years has prioritized respiratory tract infection because it remains the biggest killer in Kenya, we have seen life expectancy fall by 10 years primarily because of HIV related infections these are the second major cause of death in Kenya as you can see from our strategic plan 2015-2020 diarrhea malnutrition and malaria are also are the center of our health programme these are all among the top 10 causes of death in Kenya in 2016. The vast majority of Kenya are under 15 years old and we need an effective strategic policy to bring Kenya life expectancy up to standards of other countries.

Since ICROSS began over 35 years ago, it remained committed to preserving local culture tradition and heritage. One important part of this was to provide effective community development, that would be sustainable and owned by local communities. ICROSS did not focus on building a large NGO but concentrated on supporting local existing social systems. All of our work since 1983 but on the cultural values and belief systems of the local people. During the 1983-84 drought, many of our team became concerned that tribal communities were selling their precious tribal artifacts simply to survive.

ICROSS has been  working on innovative ways to treat  Trachoma since  1986 with Professor David Morley of the Institute of Child Health, a pioneer of Tropical Health.

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. It is caused by an obligate intracellular bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis.

The international team of ICROSS and new world international have launched in collaboration with the government of  Kenya a malaria prevention programme to try and reduce the cases and deaths caused by malaria among nomads.

Together with our international partners including Kenya ministry of health and the International Community for Relief of Starvation and Suffering.  NWI UK has seen a reduction of 22,000 cases of Malaria in Kenya.

There has been a spectacular improvement in the way which malaria is treated, with you help we can do a great deal more.

NWI has spent the last 18 months creating long term prevention programmes thanks to the many volunteers and partners including John Woodbridge, Jennah- louise salkeld and a group of close friends.

Jennah-Louise Salked has been campaigning for women's rights in Kenya for the last four years. She has been dynamic as an ambassador for remote rural women's groups and mother and child health, this year Jennah has set up a series of projects working with ICROSS in Kenya and its partner charity in the United Kingdom, New World International UK. To learn more about the work of both charities, you can check out our YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/ICROSSwork and our websites http://icrossinternational.org and http://nwiuk.org . If you would like to support any of Jennah's projects, you can donate through the British charity commission regulated charity http://www.nwiuk.org/ or directly https://www.charitycheckout.co.uk/1126542/Donate .

Celebration, the latest collection of images from the work of ICROSS international has been created and has been put together to share the  achievements of ICROSS over the last 37 years. This work is part of the series of initiatives to create an understanding regarding poverty and social injustice around the world.

I ​Am delighted as the CEO and Director of ICROSS ​I​ nternational and ICROSS Kenya to present the first in a series of photographic book​s​ that we are launching ​. This is the latest ICROSS initiative to create a more profound understanding of poverty and social justice as well as highlighting the ways that we can change the world together.

The ICROSS team of 2016 is delighted to announce the release of its Annual Report for 2015. 

Speaking at the release of our latest programme, the International Director Dr. Michael Elmore-Meegan released the annual Report on behalf of the project teams and the Board of ICROSS international on 13th April 2016. Dr. Meegan paid tribute to the many donors and volunteers who work together every day to make ICROSS such a wonderful success.

9 hours spent driving out to a clinic today on what I would refer to as far too kind if I called it a road, in remote Kenya, in ridiculous heat. I am exhausted. I have done a few 8 hour days in the car in the past couple of weeks, but this one took it out of me! I couldn't have asked for a better good evening than this gift from this beautiful world x ‪#‎icross‬

In 2016/18, I​CROSS​ is launching its latest major project​ that is within the Strategic Plan 2015-2020 ​. Over the last 37 years, we have built and dedicated many clinics to those who have provided service​ and support​ to Africa. These include ​T​he Sharon Wilkinson ​C​linic, ​The ​ Father Paul Cunningham ​C​linic, and the Professor Ronan Conroy ​C​linic.