ICROSS Vision 2012

ICROSS, which stands for "the International Community for the Relief of Suffering and Starvation" is a Kenyan-based non-governmental organization founded by Michael Meegan, Joseph Barnes and Thomas O'Riordan which specialises in long term primary health, community health care and public health programmes. The organisation's headquarters are based in Ngong, Rift Valley, Kenya. ICROSS www.icrossinternational.org . ICROSS has a long established research programme with a number of different patrners and research collaborators. Activities ICROSS www.icrosskenya.org works as a Kenyan-based development NGO, with a focus in the field of health,[1][2] with key international lectures [3] including the RedR Future shocks lecture,.[4] ICROSS is responsible for a large terminal care programme and a series of public health programmes. One of ICROSS's key research streams has been investigating means of solar disinfection (SODIS) of contaminated drinking water, and has helped conduct a number of control trials of SODIS.[5] Engaged in multi country collaborative programmes www.rcsi.ie/hwts09 ICROSS stresses traditional tribal values, building development programmes through the exisyting decision systems and creating locally driven agendas. International profile ICROSS campaigns have included Africa awakes which tries to change the stereotypes and negative perceptions of Africa www.africa-awakes.com These exhibitions have received wide media coverage in Italy and France. ICROSS public health work has been cited Internationally , medical work has appeared in key scienticif journals since 1981. Meegan who received many international awards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Elmore-Meegan was featured in BBC's Hardtalk current affair's programme for his work for ICROSS[6] while in 2006 the organisation was the subject of an award winning documentary by Irish Television.[7] ICROSS and its Founders have received widespread recognition for their work, especially in long term public health and creating lasting community development programmes. ICROSS spcialises in long term pastoralist health programmes, the most recent example of which was opened in December 2010 at Ilkilorit, Maasai land in Kenya. They have been covered extensively in the media, most recently for SODIS and for Africa awakes campaigns fighting racism, prejudice and stereotypes. In 2003 the founder received International person of the year in Ireland and in 2006 was the second person ever to receive a D Med Honoris Causa for his work in International health.www.nui.ie/college/docs/citations/2006/meegan.pdf ICROSS work is widely cited ( see google scholar ) and the administration is entirely Africanied since August 2000. Media news items include research http://www.emwis.net/initiatives/fol060732/proj634131 http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/letter-2003-10-16.html The International NGO which has multi lateral and bi lateral donors. Since 2003 the expansion of ICROSS International has seen the creation of an International Advisory board in 2009 chaired by Dr Davida de La Harpe. In October 2009 ICROSS launched www.icrossinternational.org and www.icrosskenya.org Michael Meegan has also written numerous books on his work with ICROSS including 'All Will Be Well'(the successor to 'All Shall Be Well'), 'Surprised by Joy' and 'Changing the World 2008 A new series of books is being published by eye books www.eye-books.con In January 2010 ICROSS Kenya extended its Rural health programmes. In March ICROSS Kenya began legal action in Ireland to try and establlish where funds raised for Kenyan projects had gone. The co founder of ICROSS Dr Joe Barnes installed a new Board of Directors in ICROSS Ireland july 2010 and funding to ICROSS Kenya programmes resumed. This funding was raised by the Founders

ICROSS, which stands for "the International Community for the Relief of Suffering and Starvation" is a Kenyan-based non-governmental organization founded by Michael Meegan, Joseph Barnes and Thomas O'Riordan which specialises in long term primary health, community health care and public health programmes. The organisation's headquarters are based in Ngong, Rift Valley, Kenya. ICROSS www.icrossinternational.org . ICROSS has a long established research programme with a number of different patrners and research collaborators. Activities ICROSS www.icrosskenya.org works as a Kenyan-based development NGO, with a focus in the field of health,[1][2] with key international lectures [3] including the RedR Future shocks lecture,.[4] ICROSS is responsible for a large terminal care programme and a series of public health programmes. One of ICROSS's key research streams has been investigating means of solar disinfection (SODIS) of contaminated drinking water, and has helped conduct a number of control trials of SODIS.[5] Engaged in multi country collaborative programmes www.rcsi.ie/hwts09 ICROSS stresses traditional tribal values, building development programmes through the exisyting decision systems and creating locally driven agendas. International profile ICROSS campaigns have included Africa awakes which tries to change the stereotypes and negative perceptions of Africa www.africa-awakes.com These exhibitions have received wide media coverage in Italy and France. ICROSS public health work has been cited Internationally , medical work has appeared in key scienticif journals since 1981. Meegan who received many international awards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Elmore-Meegan was featured in BBC's Hardtalk current affair's programme for his work for ICROSS[6] while in 2006 the organisation was the subject of an award winning documentary by Irish Television.[7] ICROSS and its Founders have received widespread recognition for their work, especially in long term public health and creating lasting community development programmes. ICROSS spcialises in long term pastoralist health programmes, the most recent example of which was opened in December 2010 at Ilkilorit, Maasai land in Kenya. They have been covered extensively in the media, most recently for SODIS and for Africa awakes campaigns fighting racism, prejudice and stereotypes. In 2003 the founder received International person of the year in Ireland and in 2006 was the second person ever to receive a D Med Honoris Causa for his work in International health.www.nui.ie/college/docs/citations/2006/meegan.pdf ICROSS work is widely cited ( see google scholar ) and the administration is entirely Africanied since August 2000. Media news items include research http://www.emwis.net/initiatives/fol060732/proj634131 http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/letter-2003-10-16.html The International NGO which has multi lateral and bi lateral donors. Since 2003 the expansion of ICROSS International has seen the creation of an International Advisory board in 2009 chaired by Dr Davida de La Harpe. In October 2009 ICROSS launched www.icrossinternational.org and www.icrosskenya.org Michael Meegan has also written numerous books on his work with ICROSS including 'All Will Be Well'(the successor to 'All Shall Be Well'), 'Surprised by Joy' and 'Changing the World 2008 A new series of books is being published by eye books www.eye-books.con In January 2010 ICROSS Kenya extended its Rural health programmes. In March ICROSS Kenya began legal action in Ireland to try and establlish where funds raised for Kenyan projects had gone. The co founder of ICROSS Dr Joe Barnes installed a new Board of Directors in ICROSS Ireland july 2010 and funding to ICROSS Kenya programmes resumed. This funding was raised by the Founders

ICROSS fighting water borne disease

http://www.youtube.com/user/ICROSSPROJECTS/videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/ICROSSPROJECTS/videos

Michael Meegan on gentleness

“Everything changes when you wake up in the morning and decide to own today. It will not be taken from you by anyone else, it will be yours “ Michael Meegan, Changing the World www.michaelmeegan.net www.eye-books.com ” When you feel overwhelmed, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and know that the very breath you are taking is the same miracle of life that pervades all creation. Despite your anxieties , fears and pain, He knows you. He knows you better than you will ever understand yourself. Breathe in, breathe out. You are experiencing the miracle. The most amazing miracle of all. The gift of life. All things will find harmony in this knowing, in this , is the whisper of not only all creation, but of the Creator” Michael Meegan “Your energy is powered by your thoughts, negative thoughts drain you, loving thoughts fill you with love” Michael Meegan, The Tribe of one www.eye-books.com ” when we really know ourselves, we forgive always” Michael Meegan ALL WILL BE WELL www.eye-books.com “If you really want to know who your friends are, see you stands by you in a storm” Mike Meegan ” Remind yourself of your vision, keep your hopes close yo your heart, be passionate about them and always ,always always be true to them” Michael Meegan Changing the World ” The most important language of personal joy is the often complex linguistics of silence” Michael Meegan ALL WILL BE WELL ” Friends are those who touch the heart of you , rejoice in the “all” that makes you . They are at your side , they make you laugh , are there ti wipe away your tears . They see the real you , the fragile you. A real friend is there so deeply that they are your rock , the foundation and stability of all we face . Friendship is one of those things like breathing , present to the last moment , then beyond . My prayer is this . That you know who your friends are , honour them , rejoice in them , bless them , learn from them , forgive them anything , give hhem yourself , be with hhem and be blessed by them . Michael Meegan Journey of a soul Lecture , London march 2011 On Theilhard de Chardin “he understood three things The nature on man The limitations of the mind in it’s thoughts, and gentleness and grace of true love . This of course was profound heresy” Michael Meegan

New International Water campaign 2012-2013 ICROSS is fighting for water along with groups around the World. We need you to join us ! More people have a mobile phone than a toilet. In Areas of Extreme poverty including many areas we serve there is only ONE toilet per 300 people. • In 60 developing countries, only 46% of primary schools have adequate water sources and 37% have adequate sanitation facilities. In our new project areas none of the 5 schools have water or adequate facilities • Women and children walk on average 6km every day to fetch water, and the average weight of water they carry is 20kg “ I stopped going to School when I was 14 because there was nowhere to wash, no place I could manage my period, no girls toilet and nowhere to wash my hand , I had no choice “ Susan ( 22 Mother of 3 children,Kenya ) ICROSS has been working with communities since 1980 to improve access to water, improve sanitation and reduce infectious disease through hygiene. With Over a Billion without clean water and hundreds of millions without toilets the Global solution requires poitical action to provide these rights and create change. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is part of UNICEFS Global campaign to end this injustice. World leaders have made promises which they have not kept. These promises must be kept to bring an end to the global sanitation and water crisis. By taking part in the Keep Your Promises campaign, you can unite with hundreds of thousands of people across the world who are taking action to ensure that basic sanitation and clean water are available for EVERYONE! ICROSS is part of an International partnership that is launching a year long campaign. http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/members/I we need you to get involved NGOs and Organisations around the World are involved and we need you to help us. “It is hard for us to imagine life without ever having a toilet, Its one of those things we have never thought about. Now imagine your young children, those you love and old old and sick managing without a toilet, water to wash, the absence of every and any amenity, no toilet paper, sanitary towel, anything ! This is reality for a third of humanity and it has to stop. Theres no excuse, water is a right !” Michael Meegan PLEASE HELP US • Get involved sharing awareness about the Global suffering caused by diarrhoeal infections the lack of sanitation share our updates with your friends on facebook and twitter. • Help us provide toilets and donate today, ask your friends to help as well. • Provide sanitary towels to girls helping them stay in school • Download the toolkit to see how you can start campaigning with us and challenge your own politicians http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/news/keep-your-promises-sanitation-and-water This week we will announce details of World toilet day 2012 and how you can get involved. Everyone of us can do something ! “I would like to go to School but its not really going to happen “ Maria (13 Kenya) For more information about the campaign http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/page/solution http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/crisis/why-campaign-water-and-sanitation http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_bigpicture.html

Maternal deaths in Africa, We need your help now! Maternal deaths are preventable, Most maternal deaths are caused by obstetric complications such haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders and sepsis as well as abortions. Half of all births in Africa occur without the support of a skilled birth attendant. 10-15 million women a year suffer severe or long- lasting illnesses or disabilities caused by complications during pregnancy or childbirth. You can help ICROSS to reduce this and make a difference to thousands of mothers. Every year, more than 1 million children are left motherless and vulnerable because of maternal death. Children who have lost their mothers are up to 10 times more likely to die prematurely than those who haven’t. 36% of all the mothers in remote ICROSS rural Maasai projects are undernourished. Over the next year ICROSS intends to make sure all mothers at our clinics are properly nourished but we need your help. It is not charity its a right and we need your help ! Being born into poverty does not mean you should die there... We need your personal support. Please donate to our Safe motherhood Maternal health programme https://icrossinaction.com/donate.html Our work depends on you getting personally involved. For Thirty years ICROSS has been working to protect women in areas of extreme poverty. ICROSS has provided long term prevention , training and nutritional care as part of our community health programmes. https://icrossinaction.com/donate.html " Everyone of us can change the World and we can start today, everything we do can make a difference" Michael Meegan Changing the World Eye Books

Female circumcision remains one of the most harmful and degrading abuses of women around the World. Since 1992 ICROSS has actively campaigned against female genital mutilation and has actively followed harm reduction programmes, community health education and children’s rights work. In many traditional communities over 90% of girls are mutilated . In many traditional tribal groups we work with Type lll circumcision is most common . This infibulation or pharaonic circumcision, is the removal of all external genitalia. “The inner and outer labia are cut away, with removal of the clitoris The girl's legs are usually bound together for the the wound to heal. The immobility causes the labial tissue to bond, forming a wall of flesh and skin across the entire vulva, apart from a hole the size of a matchstick for the passage of urine and menstrual blood, which is created by inserting a twig or rock salt into the wound.(ref 1 ) This abuse of women’s rights is widely practised throughout Africa. We are working with traditional communities in our public health programme to protect the rights of girls and to introduce alternative rites of passage and less harmful practices. vaginal and pelvic infections, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility as well as increased risk of fibroids cysts and other recurrent problems are common in genital mutilation. Urinary retention, urinary infection, wound infection, septicemia, tetanus, hepatitis HIV, incontinence, continual bleeding, severe infections , keloid scarring and loss of sensation are among a long list of harmful effects from these unnecessary mutilations. There is greatly increased risk of neonatal death and delivery complications as well as long term harm to the mother and child. ICROSS has been actively fighting to reduce mutilation over the past twenty years. This month marks the 20th Anniversary of our FGM initiative . Over the last 20 years we have reduced the number of full Type lll circumcisions by over 7,000 cases and reduced the risk of infection , sepsis and tetanus by over 35,000 cases. Our work continues in collaboration with partners and campaigners nationally and internationally. We need your help today to protect children from this invasive mutilation and protect them in 2012-2013. Please work with ICROSS FGM programmes and help make female circumcision a thing of the past. Dr Michael Meegan , International Director noted " while progress has been made internationally its coming far too slowly and there is no room for complacency. We must all redouble our efforts to bring about the changes needed to reduce risk and protect girls from this harmful mutilation" DOleNtilai and other Senior ICROSS managers spoke today of their commitment to protect young girls from harm “ we need all our friends to join with us as we scale up this programme to end practices that only harm and hurt children, we must all work harder to end any custom that inflicts pain and suffering on our own children “ ICROSS marked the 20th anniversary of its female circumcision programme with a commitment to scale up prevention programmes and community training. http://icrossinternational.org/ https://icrossinaction.com/donate.html

Over the last 10 Days ICROSS has been conducting a district wide Maasai land campaigns which has covered thousands of kilometers. This was one of the largest measles campaigns of its kind ever conducted in Maasai land vaccinating 100s of children whose lives were threaten measles, together with Ministry of health and ministry of Public Health ICROSS teams reached remote areas throughout the south Rift Valley on the Kenyan Tanzanian border. The International director of ICROSS Dr. Michael Meegan congratulated the ICROSS/MOH Mobile unit which worked 16 hours days targeting remote areas devastated by drought with malnutrition worsening the effects of measles. This is a critical part of ICROSS child survival program. With over 140,000 measles deaths every year most of this happen in Africa. Dr. Meegan who has worked among the Maasai for over 30 years in ICROSS programmes said that "measles vaccinations have resulted In a 74% reduction of measles deaths between 2000 ad 2010 worldwide" He said " When ICROSS began its work in 1980 before the international measles campaign there were 2.6 Million deaths per year because of measles” Dr. Meegan explained that severe measles is common in malnourished children “the majority of deaths are caused by complications. In our programs these are usually severe diarrhea, dehydration and respiratory infections” Dan Ngwiri thanked the ICROSS teams and noted “Over 20 Million people are affected by measles every year, most of the suffering is here in Africa”. In keeping with WHO measles elimination goals, ICROSS extended its monitoring and surveillance systems together with our colleagues in the Ministry of health, we are developing rapid response systems to outbreaks as part of our maternal child health programmes “ (Catherine Conlan maternal child health program). ICROSS country director said that the ICROSS strategy “is designed around the WHO eradication campaign” and that "We are working with our partners towards the WHO 2015 measles goals” https://icrossinaction.com/donate.html Saruni Ole Lengeny head of ICROSS pastoral programs said “We are working with the people and our research programmes from a background with ICROSS of 30 years immunisation programmes” The measles campaigns covered the whole district not only ICROSS medical ad clinical areas the head of the research team will continue to focus on the development needed “ to support cost effective action ad improve vaccination” (WHO measles campaign component 5) Please donate and support this essential campaign saving children's lives. You can help these children through https://icrossinaction.com/donate.html