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20/06/2020 - MALARIA NEWS UPDATE JUNE 2020

MALARIA NEWS UPDATE JUNE 20

ICROSS continues to implement home-based Malaria prevention programmes in pastoralist villages.

The problem

• Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya.
• 25 million out of a population of 44 million Kenyans are at risk of malaria.
• It accounts for 30-50% of all outpatient attendance and 20% of all admissions to health facilities.
• Malaria is also estimated to cause 20% of all deaths in children under the age of 5 years the most vulnerable group to malaria infections are pregnant women and children under the age of 5 years.

 Our response

·      Despite significant challenges and limitations, ICROSS field volunteers and community health workers continue to reach those villages most in need and children who are most vulnerable. 

·      Wherever possible we distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets an insecticide-treated mosquito net protects you from diseases carried by mosquitoes, such as malaria. These have a great impact on reducing new cases and the prevalence of malaria in children and mothers. Evidence shows that the use of this prevention has significantly cut infections and deaths.

·      Slashing and spraying has continued in grass and shrub areas around homes and schools, markets and water sources, this has reduced mosquito-breeding sites in over 30 villages.

·      Trained ICROSS village health workers implement Child to child health education in rural homes, a programme established in ICROSS villages by Professor David Morley in 1988.  Our focus remains most at risk children. We use the local culture, language and belief systems to improve behaviour, safe practices and home health practices to reduce mosquitoes and impact illness and death from malaria outbreaks.

With your help we can extend our malaria prevention into other areas deeply in need of our public health programme.

12/06/2020 - About Us 2020

ICROSS The International Community for the Relief Of Starvation and Suffering 

Mission Statement

A World free of suffering and infant death where people can be cared for by people who speak their own language, and understand the local culture, traditions and beliefs. Our vision together with our partners, is a world without hunger and starvation realising that we live in a world of great wealth and resources. We believe in compassion and kindness based on shared understanding, equality and empathy.

Mission Statement 2020

ICROSS seeks to reduce disease suffering and poverty among the poorest of the poor. We intend to continue to create awareness and knowledge based on the values and beliefs of the local communities we serve.

Where Do We Work?

ICROSS began its work among pastoral communities in East Africa in 1979. For almost 40 years, we gradually extended the coverage of our work from central Kenya to vulnerable communities in the Western counties of Kenya, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS. We have worked in Samburu, Kajiado, Nakuru, Bungoma, Nzoia, Siayia, Bondo, Buret and Mumias in Kenya and Arusha, Dodoma and Monduli in Tanzania. In addition, we have provided technical and material support to an extensive network of partner National local INGOs and Faith-based projects. This has included the first series of global health courses in Nepal lectures in international development in Cambodia as well as program evaluations in other south East Asia countries. Our core focus remains endangered pastoral communities across Kenya’s Rift Valley

What Are Our Key focus Areas?

Community Owned Primary Health Care
Child- Survival, Training Traditional Birth Attendants, reduction of maternal deaths, gender-rights awareness, commercial-sex workers support, female circumcision harm reduction, safe motherhood, education and girls. Children’s

Poverty Reduction
Training health workers in desert areas, trachoma blindness control, diarrhoea control, tribal community health programmes, surgical training, desertification projects.

Children’s Rights and Gender and Development
Child-to-child sanitation and hygiene, pediatric disease control, child survival, immunization, primary health care, infant mortality control, AIDS orphans and vulnerable children’s rights, child health promotion.

Community Strengthening
Disease surveillance, women group developments, technical support to small organisations, legal and material support, water and sanitation projects, ICROSS resource leverage, partnership development and networking.

HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria prevention
Disease surveillance, women group developments, technical support to small organisations, legal and material support, water and sanitation projects, ICROSS resource leverage, partnership development and networking.

Poverty Awareness
Campaigning for child health, human rights, health rights and water rights

14/07/2019 - ICROSS building local skills

ICROSS has pioneered the field of community focused operational research for 39 years in East Africa. We currently are helping health teams to develop working models of locally based monitoring programmes. We are working with dynamic young health professionals in helping them understand the basic requirements of developing evaluation systems.

07/08/2017 - ICROSS Research Programming 2017-2018

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.

07/08/2017 - ICROSS has completed its second series of family planning workshops 2017

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.

10/06/2017 - ICROSS LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING

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.