Measles & Rubella Spotlight: Partnership Country Kenya

Kenyan Red Cross Society volunteers stand together for a photo in a local community before starting an immunization campaign.

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Kenya Measles Campaign May 2016 - The Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi is just one of the communities where Kenya Red Cross volunteers have been going door to door to let families know about the measles campaign that targeted 19 million children ages 9 months to 14 years. It is one of the largest immunization campaigns in history. Photo by Niki Clark/American Red Cross

A mother, child and Kenyan Red Cross Society volunteer sit together in a clinic, waiting for an immunization.

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September 27, 2018. Nairobi, Kenya. Prince Osinachi waits to receive vaccines at the local health clinic — sitting alongside a local Red Cross volunteer, Felista Njenga, and his mother, Lydia Odinga. “The Red Cross has educated me and my neighbors about the importance of our children receiving vaccinations. My son was 4 months late receiving one of his measles doses, so I was afraid of taking him to the health cent —but the volunteer convinced me to go,” said Lydia. She received a visit from Red Cross volunteer, Felista Njenga, who helps ensure kids in the dense urban community receive lifesaving vaccines — such as those for measles and rubella. “I volunteer because, as a mother, my desire is to have a healthier community free of diseases,” says Felista. Photo by Juozas Cernius/American Red Cross

April 27, 2025

More than 4 million Kenyan children vaccinated in areas supported by the American Red Cross

Measles is one of the most contagious and severe childhood diseases. Every day, it takes the lives of hundreds of children around the world. Even if a child survives, measles can cause permanent disabilities, such as blindness or brain damage. But there is hope.

Since 2001, the American Red Cross and our partners in the Measles & Rubella Initiative have vaccinated more than 2 billion children around the globe.

The Red Cross plays a pivotal role in vaccination campaigns worldwide: local volunteers use mass media, rallies, door-to-door visits and educational entertainment to reach families who do not have access to routine health services. Whether in distant villages or urban settlements, these campaigns may be the only way for children to receive this lifesaving vaccine. It costs about $2 to vaccinate a child against measles and rubella, making it one of the most cost-effective health interventions available.

"We must continue to come together as humanitarians to alleviate the indescribable anguish measles deaths cause to families and communities, especially given the fact that this is a disease easily preventable by vaccination," said Jarrett Barrios, Senior Vice President, International Services at the American Red Cross. “The American Red Cross stands committed with our partners around the globe to reach every single child and ensure they are protected against this deadly disease.”

KEY PARTNERSHIP WITH KENYAN RED CROSS SOCIETY Each year in Kenya, more than 350,000 children miss their scheduled routine vaccinations — leaving them vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella. The American Red Cross has a regional office based in Nairobi, Kenya, and has a long history of successful collaboration with the Kenyan Red Cross Society (KRCS) and the country’s Ministry of Health. Over the years, we have supported 13 programs in partnership with KRCS.

These programs have typically focused on social mobilization to increase demand for vaccines at the community level, support for nationwide measles and rubella vaccination campaigns, support for activities to strengthen routine immunization systems, measles outbreak response, and support for vaccination programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the years, we have trained more than 10,000 KRCS volunteers, who in turn have visited more than 2.4 million households to provide information to caregivers on the importance of vaccinations and encourage them to bring their children to vaccination posts. By way of these activities, KRCS estimates that more than 4 million Kenyan children have been vaccinated in areas supported by the American Red Cross.

Kenya has been our M&RP team’s home base and thus also the location of many of our pilot programs, including the first iteration of the 5-Point Plan to strengthen routine immunization systems, conducted in the Bobasi district of Kisi County.

The 5-Point Plan consists of sequential, interconnected steps utilizing the vast resources at the community-level to:

Find clusters of unvaccinated children
Talk to caregivers and frontline health workers to determine the reasons why children aren’t vaccinated
Share information to solve identified reasons
Inform the community of the most effective actions to take
Evaluate the process

Working alongside volunteers and staff from KRCS, the American Red Cross has continually improved the 5-Point Plan model and has implemented it in other countries across the African continent. Through the capacity built during our work in Bobasi, KRCS has remained an active supporter of the 5-Point Plan and provides staff and volunteers to support set-up activities and training in new host countries.

The M&RP team is proud of our partnership with KRCS in Kenya and beyond, and values the strong relationships and work done to help protect children from vaccine preventable diseases, which continues to grow both inside and outside of Kenya’s borders.

About the Measles & Rubella Partnership:
The Measles & Rubella Partnership (M&RP) is a global initiative to stop measles and rubella. Under the umbrella of Immunization Agenda 2030 and guided by the Measles and Rubella Strategic Framework 2030, M&RP’s mission includes addressing the global decline in national vaccination coverage, hastening COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and accelerating progress towards creating a world free of measles and rubella. The partnership includes the American Red Cross, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.