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American Red Cross President Tours Togo Vaccination Sites
Written by
Lesly C. Hallman
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Friday, December 17, 2004 — Ave, Togo – American Red Cross President and CEO Marty Evans arrived in Togo on Dec. 15 to participate in the campaign to eliminate measles and malaria in the small West African nation..
Shortly after arriving in the capital city of Lomé, Evans visited three campaign sites in the plateau region village of Ave. There, she comforted children after they received measles vaccinations.
“There is no more important work than preventing these childhood diseases,” said Evans, “The American Red Cross is pleased and proud to help lead this effort, not only because we are saving millions of lives but also because it gives us the opportunity to connect with so many partners in business and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world.”
By the end of the seven-day program, nearly one million children between the ages of nine months to five years of age will have been vaccinated, and more than 700,000 insecticide-treated bed nets will be distributed to protect families from malaria.
“I’m also extremely grateful to partners with the Togolese Red Cross because being able to expand our worldwide capability is what the movement is all about,” Evans added. “This campaign is a way to take the contributions from each of us to make a larger effect overall.”
For Evans, this visit to Togo is her fist time in Africa since living in Morocco as a young child. She was hugely impressed with the kindness of her Togolese hosts.
Evans thanked the large number of partners in this effort, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from around the world, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and an array of other health and humanitarian organizations.
Marty Evans with children in Ave, Togo. |
“This integrated campaign shows that anything is possible if we set our minds to it and if we are passionate and imaginative,” said Evans. “There are many reasons a campaign of this magnitude might not have worked, but we overcame our language barriers, geographic distances and other obstacles to come together and make it a reality.”
“Often we help people recover after a disaster, but a program like this gives us the opportunity to do good work in advance,” she said. “It gives our American Red Cross donors a chance to make a difference internationally as well.”
“I feel fortunate that the American Red Cross has the opportunity and resources to tackle measles head-on, partnering to eliminate a deadly yet preventable disease,” said Evans.
The Measles Initiative is scheduled to continue through 2006, and the several participating countries, NGOs and businesses continue to discuss how to build on this life-saving work. Evans said the American Red Cross looks forward to reproducing the success of this first integrated campaign to help other countries that are battling measles and malaria.
“Personally, it’s very rewarding to be part of a campaign like this,” she observed. “I’m so impressed with the interest on the part of the mothers who are lining up for their children. And for the American Red Cross, we have volunteers here as a part of our delegation who can share their experiences with others firsthand when they return home.”
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