ICROSS

We are a small international organisation working to fight poverty and disease in the poorest parts of the world. For over 25 years we have worked with tribes in East Africa fighting disease. Health professionals work with local communities in long term development and health programmes.ICROSS works with the resources, capabilities and capacities of poor marginalised communities seeking to strengthen their capacity to improve their own health and livelihoods through the rights based approaches of participation, inclusion and community empowerment processes. ICROSS has fully ..ed its vast experience in disease prevention and control amongst these disadvantaged communities. This experience is informing national and international best practice on critical areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, home-based care for those infected with HIV/AIDS and succession planning for orphans and vulnerable children.Our values include living as equals among those we work with and for, learning their languages and culture, inculcating a respect for diversity of beliefs and dedicating ourselves to long-term commitment to the poor, those who are socially excluded and those who are victims of social injustice.People in the communities are empowered to take full responsibility for the changes and developments that drive the development of ICROSS. Community participation starts right from needs identification through implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Communities, families and individuals are involved in all decisions that impact, however remotely, upon their lives.ICROSS believes that the most effective vehicle for development work is the communities' own belief systems and traditions. People have the right to choose and the right to plan their own future, consequently, anthropological research is a key part of our work.ICROSS ConceptICROSS is much more than just an organisation working in Africa. ICROSS is a concept, an idea, a set of values, which is shared and advocated by a large and evolving international community. The three decades ICROSS has operated in Africa has taught us the importance of these values and in a world where political, religious and socio-economic agendas play an evermore important role in the aid industry, ICROSS has uniquely, and with instinct, refrained from giving up its values and beliefs.The values of ICROSS derive from something as simple as caring for our brothers and sisters; assist them out of and prevent them from suffering, without an agenda other than genuinely wanting to assist. We assist them through their own people, their languages, their traditions and existing political and belief systems with a sincere admiration and respect for their cultures.By listening to the people whom we assist and develop programmes according to their needs and in their presence, rather than our wishes in an office far from their reality, the communities we serve, gain a sense of ownership. This is a real ownership not a donor driven or foreign idea. The feeling of ownership is crucial in any development work; it reduces possible constraints and limitations of a programme and ensures success, cost effectiveness and more importantly sustainability. ICROSS assists communities to facilitate themselves out of affliction.ICROSS has over the years, scientifically shown, that what we do works. Our values and evidence based approach has ensured that even as a small, bottom-up, grass-root operating organisation, we have gained international respect among politicians, religious leaders, and academics around the world, who among thousands of others, make up the international community of ICROSS. ICROSS actually has the poor, donors and Government represented on our board of Directors, it is transparent and shares new ideas.This international community is the driving force behind ICROSS as an idea. The humanitarian work of ICROSS stretches far beyond our programmes in Africa. ICROSS is within anyone who genuinely wants to care and assist others with love, respect and understanding. ICROSS as an idea is growing dynamically and with your help could reach more people.What We DoWe prevent diseases and control epidemics. We create long term changes in infant mortality. We are creating low cost-effective solutions to break the cycle of poverty We train, educate and support thousands of local people to be self sufficient. We support communities in helping orphaned children and help them respond to poverty in the villages. We see what is working and find out what is effective through scientific study and research. Working with international institutions we have published widely on new innovative responses to disease and poverty. We identify the most vulnerable children and communities in need and provide practical immediate help and long term solutions so they will be independent We believe in evidence led public health programmes responding to the realities on the groundCurrent Programmes & StudiesHIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria preventionHomecare of terminally ill, AIDS orphans and vulnerable children, TB awareness, detection and control, malaria control, maternal transmission education, voluntary counseling and testing, training in disease control. Stigma and Discrimination Workshops Community Health Worker Training in Kajiado Direct Aid Nakuru Community Based Primary Health CareTraining Traditional Birth Attendants, reduction of maternal deaths, gender rights awareness, commercial sex workers support, female circumcision harm reduction, safe motherhood education and girls. Solar Disinfection of Drinking water. Development of Primary Health Care Kajiado. TBA Traing Samburu District. Kajiado Community Health Programme. safe Motherhood Kajido Children’s Rights and Gender and DevelopmentChild-to-child sanitation and hygiene, pediatric disease control, child survival, immunisation, primary health care, infant mortality control, AIDS orphans and vulnerable children’s rights, child health promotion. Poverty ReductionTraining health workers in desert areas, trachoma blindness control, diarrhoea control, tribal community health programmes, surgical training, desertification projects. Community StrengtheningDisease surveillance, women group developments, technical support to small organisations, legal and material support, water and sanitation projects, ICROSS resource leverage, partnership development and networking.Water ProtectionGovernanceICROSS (International Community Relief of Suffering and Starvation) is a non-government organisation, established in Ireland in 1979 as a registered charity. ICROSS is also registered in Kenya, Tanzania, Canada and the United Kingdom.In developing our corporate policies we seek to create a dynamic forward-looking organisation that will be able to respond to emerging challenges and needs in a rapidly changing world. Together with our partners, we are moving forward embracing new ideas and innovative approaches, learning from the wisdom and experience of the past. We are building on evidence and introducing fresh, exciting ideas and directions. Our vision of a better world inspires us, our mission focuses us, and our shared goals unite us. With effective planning, transparency, and clear direction, we will be able to really create lasting change.