safe motherhood critical in reducing infant deaths in Africa

ICROSS Safe motherhood and infant health care

The crisis in Africa is worsening. ICROSS is building new projects to impact on the areas most in need.


Heres the problem faced by the poorest of the poor.

One in six African children dies before the age of five. Most of these deaths could be prevented. (source: Africa 2015) so we have a long term projects targeting these causes.

Over half of Maasai children under 5 years are underweight.(Source Nut Survey July2011) ICROSS works at preventing malnutrition and feeding the most vulnerable children.

Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. (source: UNICEF) Our work in child survival and child monitoring as well as maternal education and training has been published since 1981.

In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF) ICROSS has doubled the number of vaccinations in the last 3 years in its rural health sclinics and outreach and nomadic health services.

Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Bank/UNICEF) For 18 years ICROSS has worked with AIDS orphans in rural and slum areas.

43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF) 64% of children in Maasai communities.(source SODIS ) ICROSS has made an international contribution to diarrhoea with its work published and widely used. Since 1986 we have been pioneering innovations to reduce water borne disease. We need to share this work more widely.

64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation. (source: UNICEF) in Maasailand this is 76%. ICROSS continues to promote hygiene, sanitation and prevention across hundreds of villages.

Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (source: Africa 2015) For 27 years ICROSS has supported primary schools and assisted girls to go to school in rural areas.

We need help to extend these vital projects to more communities and villages.

ICROSS is a leading independent organization making long term change in the lives of communities living in absolute poverty. With over three decades of experience in delivering public health in Africa we have also pioneered research into long term interventions creating lasting improvements in health.

Recognized for our commitment to International health research we have been published in the leading medical journals ranging from the Journal of the American Medical Association to the LANCET and other key scientific publications. ICROSS has a reputation for innovation and international partnerships, our work begins and is rooted through the values of the communities we live with. ICROSS works with a wide range of other organizations, government departments, NGOs and many local partners .

As ICROSS continues to strengthen long term public health, our projects are built on peer reviewed externally validated research. As part of our commitment to local ownership we have created community led systems that drive all our planning. With a pedigree spanning thirty years and a team of highly qualified specialists ICROSS is putting in place new infrastructures to help our programmes grow. As we design the next phase of our primary health and maternal child initiatives we will be launching an appeal to raise support for all of our Clinics, prevention programmes and safe motherhood.