Measles & Rubella Initiative

A mother waits with her child at the Langata Health Clinic in Nairobi to be vaccinated against measles. 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.

Badra Essa was thrilled to learn that a measles vaccination campaign was coming to her village in remote Ethiopia. A Red Cross volunteer had visited her house before when her eldest son, Atatef, fell ill with measles. The chance to vaccinate and protect her youngest son was an opportunity she couldn’t miss. “I felt so sad when Atatef was ill”, Essa said. “He was sick for three months. Now I tell my neighbors to vaccinate their children. It is so important to prevent this disease.”

Children at the launch of the national measles campaign at the Yeshmnesh Academy in the Benishagul region of Ethiopia.

Children being vaccinated in Oda, Ethiopia.

Mothers wait with their children to get vaccinated at their local health clinic. The American Red Cross, as part of the Measles & Rubella Initiative, supported a measles vaccination campaign in Benin. Some 1,000 Benin Red Cross volunteers went door to door in three different cities to encourage mothers and fathers to vaccinate their children.

When asked about the best part of motherhood, new mom Rose Phiri (center left) answers easily, “Just having Daniel around.” The hardest part? “Feeding him in the middle of the night.” But of course, she wouldn’t change those late nights for the world. A first-time mother, Rose is doing everything she can to make sure he grows up healthy—and that includes making sure he gets his routine immunizations on time. 

“My baby got her routine immunizations at birth. At times, our clinic does not have enough vaccines, so I do worry about her. What if my child misses an important shot?” asks Exildah Mutelo. Her daughter, Destinah, is snuggled up in a soft blanket for her first checkup with a local nurse. The two walked 30–45-minutes down a dusty road to get to the clinic, but are so grateful to have accessible healthcare facilities within reach and a team of people who care. 

“It’s a relief to know my kids are vaccinated – I don’t need to worry so much,” says Catherine Mawelela, who gave birth to her daughter, Getrude, just 7 weeks ago. The infant received some of her routine immunizations yesterday. Catherine and thousands of other parents in this region are receiving house calls from Red Cross volunteers trying to identify un- or under-vaccinated kids.