Photography by Julius Konttinen. Texts by Michael Meegan. CELEBRATION. Dedicated to Colin, a rock of strength, an amazing friend and a support to all our ...
CELEBRATION Photography by Julius Konttinen Texts by Michael Meegan
Dedicated to Colin, a rock of strength, an amazing friend and a support to all our work
INTRODUCTION
1979
WHAT HAVE WE DONE
• ICROSS created by Doctor Barnes and Doctor Meegan to change infant mortality and patterns of decease in Africa. • ICROSS begun International awareness for re thinking the model of donor led development, a policy that would be advocated by others in future decades.
1980
• ICROSS Awarded 32 grants to grassroots organizations in Africa and Asia. • ICROSS began lobbying UK politicians together with Prof David Morley for more targeted child health funding internationally.
1981 This collection of images has been created by Julius and Joni during several visits to ICROSS programmes spanning 8 years. They are a tribute to the continuity of sustainable development and creation of lasting change in Africa.
Dr. Evan Sequeira – Chairman ICROSS International
• Published “The reality of starvation and disease” about the deterioration in malnutrition across communities with endemic hunger and severe undernutrition. Meegan M. Lancet 1981; 1 (8212):146. • ICROSS launched long term public health studies with Prof. David Morley and the Institute of Child Health, London.
1982
• ICROSS East end, New York USA established by a group of Physicians in Southampton New York, USA.
1983
• Created, ICROSS Kenya with Holy Ghost Fathers headed by Fr Paul Cunningham. • Grants 22 small community projects throughout East Africa. • Published “Starvation and suffering”. Meegan M. Lancet 1983; 2(8365-66):1506. • ICROSS is given the authority to establish and operate mobile medical clinics in Samburu and Kajiado districts.
1984 This is a real celebration of our work and the people that we serve in East Africa. This project has been growing since 2008 when Julius was a young photographer starting out. I was running HIV programmes in the rift valley when Julius first visited and fell in love with the tribal communities. His unique approach to an understanding of people gave him a real access to the daily lives. We all decided that we would let the photographs speak for themselves. This is the first of a series of innovative projects that we will be doing with Julius and Joni
Danny Ngwiri – Country Director, ICROSS
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this book we present a visual perspective of our lives and work. It begins and ends in the tears and laughter, realities and experiences that make up the daily life of the very poor. This tribute to over 35 years of creating a change shows a different take of Africa. The success of our work carries its wounds and tribulations. We have worked through famines and droughts, tragedies and epidemics, ethnic violence and unimaginable circumstances. Our volunteers continue to work without pay and through the dedications of the many unsung heroes ICROSS has flourished and continues to grow. This wonderful tribute by Julius shares some of the magic and beauty that continues to inspire each one of us everyday.
Dr. Michael Meegan – International Director, ICROSS
For more than 20 years I have been privileged and humbled as I witnessed the work of ICROSS. I celebrate ICROSS as both a place and a process of transformation. Transformation of the landscape as people access clean water, transformation of society as women access education and health care and transformation of the individual - who in their own empowerment become the key potent force for the common good.
Sharon Wilkinson – Global Development Consultant
I feel overwhelmed to congratulate Dr. Michael Meegan and ICROSS for their decades of success and accomplishments. I believe the destiny of hard work is always success and am confident that they will continue doing wonderful work. I bless them for their future adventures and hope they continue climbing towards creating a better world helping the poorest of the poor to live their dreams and reach their potential.
Dr Archana Amatya – Associate Professor Dept. of Community Medicine and Public Health Institute Of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Grants to Franciscans in Mogadishu, Somalia for Health Projects. • In partnership with AMREF, ICROSS extended famine relief to over 12,000 children, mother and the elderly. • 1984-1988 ICROSS introduced in all it projects Child to Child health promotion • Donations to 5 Eastern African countries, supporting famine relief and child survival of £ 20,000. • Over £60,000 given in emergency development projects in East Africa and India. • ICROSS built first dispensary in rural Kenya by donors through the Irish independent. • ICROSS Constructed first clinic in Samburu (Lesirikan Clinic) • ICROSS allocated over 400 education grants in small Rural primary schools
1985
• ICROSS established ICROSS Tanzania together with Tanzanian ambassador to Kenya, Joe Lusinde. • Raised over £70,000 pounds for ICROSS Tanzania public health projects. • Created 4 new self-help groups. • Build two new clinics in Kenya. • Begun disease control programs in Turkana, Samburu and Pokot. • Began training of traditional birth attendants in four districts. • Initiate diarrheal control programme in Samburu. • Began camel breeding in remote areas focused in Samburu and Turkana.
1986
• Father Paul Cunningham becomes chairman of the board of directors, ICROSS Kenya. • ICROSS expands in USA. • Reached over 200,000 in drought stricken areas. • Funds training of over 200 health workers. • Distributes grants of over 50,000 dollars. • Provided first specialized referral consultancy through a team of volunteer medical consultants lead by Doctor Evan Sequeira. • Published “All shall be Well” Forward Prof John Powell SJ, ISBN 000-627006-9, Collins. 146 pgs. First edition 1986, Reprint Jan 1999. Republished Oct 2014 • Father Paul Cunningham opened ICROSS health clinic at Nyonyori, built from funding from the British High commission in Nairobi. • ICROSS launched extensive mobile outreach services and facilities in four districts of Kenya, reaching over 200,000 people a year. • ICROSS campaigns for community owned planning of projects in rural communities. • ICROSS extended its child survival and maternal health program with donations raised from 6 international donors.
1987
• Together with the Danish government (DANIDA), established long term mother and child health programming, reaching over three hundred villages and 120,000 people. • Provided supplementary feeding and training to over 7,000 mothers. • Created domestic livestock programmes that have become self-sufficient to date. • ICROSS has been proactively involved in district development committee and stakeholder groups. • ICROSS established 12 women’s groups in remote rural areas and four urban areas in East Africa.
1988
• Extended water and sanitation programmes, in four districts and handed over five primary healthcare programmes to local communities. • Developed new women’s’ groups in rural areas and doubled mobile clinics with the assistance of international donors. • Through the support of the Irish government and comic relief, established 16 micro-finance organizations and local empowerment projects. These included; fish farms, cattle dips, local maize production facilities, strengthening cattle herds, improving local organization management, facilitating awareness of legal rights. • Extended the use of solar disinfection of contaminated drinking water. • Began the training and skills transfer of local public health researchers. • Handed over five community development projects. • Published “Prevention of disease in the poor world”. Meegan M, McCormick J. Lancet 1988; 2(8603):152-3.
1989
• Increased immunisation coverage reaching over 35,000 children. • External evaluation of public health programmes by Prof David Morley • Evaluation of clinical diagnostic processes by Prof James McComick MD. • Extended training programmes for traditional mid wives. • Introduced first phase computarisation of patient data. • Reached over $280,000 of tribal pastoralists in Public Health. • Completed final studies on tribal belief systems relating to diarrhea and water borne diseases. • Raised over $300,000 dollars for community programmes • ICROSS launches what would be a 26 year collaboration with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. • Published “Rates of sexual partner change among two pastoralist southern Nilotic groups in East Africa”. Konings E, Anderson RM, Morley D, O’Riordan T, Meegan M. AIDS 1989; 3(4):245-7. • Published “Dialogue on Diarrhea Beliefs and behavior” Michael Meegan the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania , Issue no. 39 - December 1989 (regular contributor ) • Thanks to donations from Des Rushe and his readers as well as Dr Joe Barnes cofounder of ICROSS launched our first annual malaria campaign.
1990
• ICROSS was one of the first members of AIDS MAP which is international association providing HIV information globally. ICROSS has been dynamically active since 1990.
1991
• ICROSS establishes the international headquarters in Ngong Kenya • Tom Rubeck of ICROSS Texas raised $30,000 dollars to support women rights in Kenya through ICROSS projects. • External evaluation of ICROSS rural health programs by Prof James McCormack
2004
• Published “Sex workers in Kenya, numbers of clients and associated risks: an exploratory survey”. Elmore-Meegan M, Conroy RM, Reprod Health Matters 2004; 12(23):50-7. • Published “All Will be Well” republished newly updated April 2015 (Forward by John Hurt) Eye-Books, 149 pgs. , May 2004. ISBN 1903070279 www.eye-book.com • ICROSS established its commercial sex work support program reaching over 400 sex workers. • ICROSS reached 900 internships since the project began and 2400 volunteers
1992
2005
1993
2006
• Published “Rethinking famine relief”. Meegan M K. Lancet 1992; 340(8830):1293-4. • ICROSS Built its guest house and HIV support facility funded by ICROSS East end USA • ICROSS distributed over 300,000 condoms as part of its reproductive health programme. • ICROSS in partnership with the Lions club began its largest surgical operation in Kajiado Hospital • ICROSS East end completes its work after successful completion of all its projects having risen over 2 million dollars in the previous decade
1994
• ICROSS extended its international reach by the dissemination of research findings spanning over a decade of field public health research. • Published “Dwindling donor aid for health programmes in developing countries”. Conroy RM, Meegan ME. Lancet 1994; 343(8907):1228-9. • Published “Child weighing by the unschooled: a report of a controlled study of growth monitoring over 12 months of Maasai children using direct recording scales”. Meegan M, Morley DC, Brown R. Trans Royal Society Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1994; 88(6):635-7. • Ministry of Health allocated more Government staff to ICROSS rural Health Programmes • The Japanese Ambassador presented surgical equipment to Joe Gatiba operations director for Kajiado Hospital
1995
• ICROSS began Kimotho Gathoni Education Project (This lasted for over a decade) • ICROSS began a 17 year relationship with JICA introducing dozens of Japanese volunteers into rural development projects.
1996
• ICROSS developed early warning systems protocols for disaster management and reproductive healthcare support. It also developed the earliest female genital mutilation prevention programme reaching over 130,000 girls.
1997
• ICROSS extended its emergency surgical referral programmers led by eleven senior Kenyan medical consultants providing over seven hundred emergency surgical procedures a year. • Published “Fly traps. Trachoma prevention and fly reduction”, Meegan M, Morley D, Chavasse D. Lancet 1997;349(9055):886. • Published “Caring for the Future: Making the Next Decades Provide a Life Worth Living”M. K. Elmore-Meegan, JAMA • ICROSS Japanese Ambassador Hands Danny Ngwiri 38,670 USD to begin the ICROSS HIV and AIDS programme in Bondo.
1998
• Published “Solar disinfection of drinking water contained in transparent plastic bottles : characterizing the bacterial inactivation process” McGuigan1, Elmore-Meegan5 Journal of Applied Microbiology V 84 Issue 6pg 1138–1148, June 1998 • ICROSS formally introduces overseas internship programme • ICROSS expands dehydration and nutritional programmes for mothers and children, reaching over 60,000 people
1999
• Mobile clinics reach over three hundred pastoral nomads providing comprehensive clinical medical and surgical systems. This programme also provided senior consultant training to over one hundred and fourty Kenyan doctors throughout the following decade. • Published “Solar disinfection of water reduces diarrheal disease: an update’’. Conroy RM, Meegan ME, Joyce T, McGuigan K, Barnes J. Arch Diseases Children 1999; 81(4):337-8. • Published ‘’Growth monitoring: family participation: effective community development’’. Meegan M, Morley DC. Tropical Doctor
2000
• ICROSS reached over 175,000 AIDS orphans in eleven programmes across five districts stretching between urban and suburban regions, to arid and semiarid environments; this programme reached over 175,000 individuals at risk. • Published “Identifying emerging needs among AIDS orphans in Kenya”. Multi-Centre Matched Perspective Control Study of 2,786 Children Orphaned by AIDS, 2,420 other Orphans and 3,400 Nairobi, Kenya”. 2000 • Published “AIDS orphans, an emerging crisis USAID sponsored conference.” Nanyuki. Kenya”. 2000 • Published “Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA Humanities from JAMA — I Held Him in My Arms and Wept. ...
2001
• ICROSS extended solar diarrhea control programmes focusing on water borne deceases and the analysis of the primary pathogens of diarrheal infections in 14 communities. • Published “Solar disinfection of drinking water protects against cholera in children under 6 years of age”. Conroy RM, Meegan ME, Joyce T, McGuigan K, Barnes J. Arch Dis Child 2001; 85(4):293-5. • Published “Effect on neonatal tetanus mortality after a culturally-based health promotion programme”. Meegan M, Conroy RM, Lengeny SO, Renhault K, Nyangole J. Lancet 2001;358(9282):640-1 • Published “Effect of fly control using sustainable • interventions on the prevalence of Trachoma in five pastoral tribes in Kenya”. World Health Organization Trachoma conference, Geneva, Switzerland. 2001 • Published “World Health Origination (WHO) guidelines Trachoma prevention, fly traps”, M Elmore-Meegan Prof D Morely et al
2002
• Extended mother and child health to over 30,000 families, reaching over 180,000 children. • Established home based sanitation and hygiene programmes in 430 villages.
2003
• Established income generation programmes of KSHS3,000,000 focusing on women’s empowerment in sustainable development programming. • Celebrated the KSHS2,000,000 of the Kimotho Gathoni education grant, through Dr. Griffin at Starehe Secondary school. • Allocated the next point to unsupported elderly individuals living alone in remote rural Kenya. • AIDS orphans & Vulnerable Children; an evidence-led response. IFCW World Forum. Cape Town, South Africa. 2003 • Annual Consultative Review, Manitoba and Nairobi Universities Collaborative Conference. “An assessment of home-based care interventions among 2,116 terminally ill patients in Bondo and Siaya using clinically validated scales. Interim results.” Nairobi, Kenya. 2003 • ICROSS Initiated Dr Joe Barnes projects. • ICROSS extends Child to Child health promotion to its entire project
• Reached over 400,000 women through reproductive healthcare programmes. • International collaborative study launched headed by Royal College of Surgeons. • ICROSS begins the SODIS study • Together with Manuel Scrima ICROSS launched its most ambitious poverty awareness program Africa-Awakes.com these expiations have traveled to 16 countries over a five year period. • Provided over $1.2 million in grass root development aid, reaching over 320,000 women and children. • Published “Surprised by joy”; a story of hope in the midst of tragedy, Forward by Stephen Sackur BBC • Published “Applied operational study of pain determinants in terminally ill patients in Bondo, Kenya XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, August 06” Francis, P,Meegan,M • Published “Creating long term change through culturally acceptable cost effective public health interventions”. The 46th Robert Graves Lecture, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Dublin 10 May 06 • Provided diarrheal prevention to over 320,000 children.
2007
• Published “Let me Die with dignity”: Creating Meaningful Homecare Programmes for People Living with AIDS in Bungoma, Kenya,Mwenda Ntarangwi, Ph.D. and 1Michael Elmore-Megan, The African Anthropologist Vol. 13 No. 1&2, Spring 2007, pp. 9-25. • Published “Emerging mega-trends in Global health Future shocks; disasters and relief in a changing world”, RedR Conference, Royal College of nursing, London, 5th December, 2007 • Locally appropriate technologies in low income settings, Dept International health, Tampere University, Finland. 29th Nov 2007 • ICROSS extends its child monitoring clinics in all in all • Irish government funded project community health worker training course in public health sanitation, hygiene and water.
2008
• ICROSS distributed over 400,000 condoms as part of HIV prevention and sexual reproductive programmes.
2009
• Published “Changing the World” Feb 2009 • Published “Take my hand, a spiritual journey”With Sharon Wilkinson, Forward by T Hogan • Published “Health care in regions of absolute Poverty” Seminar,Dept International health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland • SODIS in KENYA, 20 years of field implementation SODIS International Conference Phnom Phen Cambodia International seminar of the impact of Solar disinfection Non 2009 • Twenty years of SODIS in Kenya. International Research Colloquium of the Network to promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 21st - 23rd September 2009 • Published “Changing dynamics of Morbidity, Mortality and poverty of children in the Third World”.Senate Hearing, Italian Senate, Rome. Senatorial Commission on International Children’s Rights,at the request of Italian Senate Commission, Rome • Published “Global health and interdependency”, The Royal College of Surgeons Charter day lecture 2009 Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin. 12th Feb 2009 • Published “AFRO Journal Italy”, regular contributor on Global health, poverty and International health trends and patterning Oct 09 Feb 09 • To mark the 20th Malaria campaign we distributed over 20,000 bed nets
2010
• ICROSS completed the five year SODIS study . • ICROSS distributed over a million condoms, as part of its comprehensive reproductive health programme. • ICROSS granted $400,000 in water protection programmes.
2011
• Published “Randomized Intervention Study of Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water in the Prevention of Dysentery in Kenyan Children Aged under 5 Years”. Martella du Preez†, Ronan M. Conroy, Sophie Ligondo, James Hennessy, Michael Elmore-Meegan, Allan Soita, and Kevin G. McGuigan* Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (21), pp 9315–9323, September 21, 2011
2012
• Global health promotion and the civil society – an NGO perspective to inequity, • Global Health Summit: INEQUITIES IN HEALTH; Helsinki, 13 June 2012 • ICROSS introduced an online Youtube project. • ICROSS extended its new community outreach services and mobile clinics, reaching a further 40,000 pastoralist nomads. • Public health and primary support services extended in collaboration with the ministry of health.
2013
• First Global Health Course: Series of Lectures on International Health, Institute of Medicine, Khatmandu, Nepal August 2013 • Changes in Global health, the INGO context. Dept. International health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland • We handed over the HIV/AIDS comprehensive healthcare support unit in Bondo, Western Kenya, funded by the Irish Government. • JK and JD launched the latest poverty awareness multimedia program which has an ambitious target of reaching 200,000 people in Europe between 2015-16. • ICROSS launched its 2nd phase of support help lines and online advise through its SEO, Blog and Twitter campaigns. • Published “Why Anti-Gay Laws Matter on World AIDS Day” • ICROSS reaches over 100,000 women with its Anemia prevention programme and provides grants to 11 women’s groups totaling over $70,000.
2014
• Maasai, a Cultural Context, Documentary : Dante Montagnani, London Oct 2014 • Technical Consultant, advisor, Executive Producer • 43,800 hrs of donated services by community and overseas volunteers • 250,000 condoms distributed towards HIV and AIDS prevention • Published “Getting into the Development Sector and breaking into a future in Development NGOs”
VISION
“Be quiet enough to know what to say with your actions. Never limit yourself, live the impossible, always step beyond yourself. This is what you were born to be, to become light in a world on great need. We may not be the solution, but are part of the solution.” -Changing the World, Michael Meegan
“Vision without action which fails to touch the lives of the poor is not vision, but self delusion.” -Changing the World, Michael Meegan
“That someday there will be no them and us. There will be no colour and no differences between us. There will be only one human family working together.” -All Will Be Well, Michael Meegan
ACTION
“People can’t eat our pity, dehydrated children can’t drink our sorrow nor can a child be educated by our anger at injustice. No one has ever been lifted out of poverty by us being overwhelmed or shocked. The only thing that ends poverty is our actions.” -Lecture on Global Health, Michael Meegan
“Waterborne diseases kill millions every year, over 1.3 billion people have no clean water. ICROSS has provided safe drinking water to over 300 000 people through innovative ground breaking research spanning three decades” -ICROSS Annual Report 2015, Dr. Allan Soita
“The future lies in education, for 36 years ICROSS has focused on educating girls and making sure that they see their own potential” -Changing the World, Michael Meegan
WOMEN & CHILDREN
“The ICROSS philosophy has always been that change occurs by empowering women. You can only empower women by educating them. This was a part of our policy twenty years before it became popular within the development sector.” -All Will Be Well, Michael Meegan
“There is a dangerous deception within international organizations, called Participation of local communities. This is essentially based on a lie. Communities are invited to participate on the terms of the donor who has the money. Unless all the choices and decisions are owned and made by the communities, there can be no authentic lasting development.” -All Will Be Well, Michael Meegan
CHANGE AND IMPACT
“There is no such thing as change in international development, unless it belongs to the people who want to change” -Changing the World, Michael Meegan
“The biggest lie and dishonesty about change or the impact of projects is created by the lords of poverty who profit from the business and industry of aid.” -Changing the World, Michael Meegan
FUTURE
“The future depends largely on our capacity to realize that we are wrong and unlearn our assumptions. The challenge of the future is dependent on our capacity to understand that our theories have failed.” -Michael Meegan
“The greatest wisdom lies in listening to the old.” -Maasai proverb
“Today we can change the future for someone, we have only to act.” -Surprised by Joy, Michael Meegan
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank all those who made this book possible. We could not have completed this work without the dedication of the ICROSS support teams and the participation of the local communities. We would like to thank the Ministry of Health staff working with ICROSS and our friends and colleagues in Kenya especially Danny Ngwiri, Bill Kasanda, John Duds Mbugua and John OleMakesser. NWI UK supported the trips and continue to raise essential donations to help rural communities of Maasai served by ICROSS. You can make a real difference by donating online either through www.icrossinternational.org or www.nwiuk.org You can download the Annual report for both charities online. You can learn more about the projects shared in this book by checking out the videos created by video artist Joni Luomanen www.youtube.com/ICROSSwork Julius Konttinen www.juliuskonttinen.com Michael Meegan www.michaelmeegan.com
