Sabina is the mother of children who received deworming medicine in Resim village, Kenya. She says, “When my children get sick, they often feel drowsy and have a high fever. This means they miss school. If we didn’t have access to Mebendazole through the health outreaches, we wouldn’t be able to access it as the nearest healthcare facility is very far away.”
Integral Members World Concern and International Health Partners have been working together since 2021 to help treat and prevent intestinal worms in children and at-risk women in Kenya, Somaliland and Somalia. Here Charlotte Thornber from IHP tells us more about this effective Integral collaboration …
What problem does this programme address?
Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are intestinal worms and one of the most prevalent and neglected tropical diseases in the world. It impacts the most impoverished and vulnerable communities, especially children. Patients will often experience chronic anaemia, malnutrition, impaired growth and dysentery. Intestinal worms impact children’s quality of life and future development.
What are IHP and World Concern doing?
International Health Partners has partnered with World Concern to help treat and prevent STH infections completely free of charge. Donated shipments from IHP provide Mebendazole, a preventative deworming medication recommended for children and at-risk women. World Concern provides education on the importance of hygiene through practices such as hand washing, using latrines, and avoiding drinking contaminated water. Together, we are preventing and treating STH infections.
IHP and World Concern have supported 9.85 million patients across Kenya, Somaliland and Somalia. Donations of Mebendazole from Johnson and Johnson, as well as essential medical supplies to support the administration of the drug, have a value of over £2.5 million. Preventing and treating STH infections will build a stronger, climate-resilient community by improving health outcomes and nutritional status.
Can you tell us about the context of this project?
The Horn of Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia) faces significant challenges in accessing healthcare due to its remote and sparsely populated nature. Few healthcare facilities exist, and the distances to reach them can be vast. It is also currently experiencing the worst climate-induced emergency in the last 40 years. Years of lower-than-average rainfall has led to the loss of crops, cattle and livelihoods for many communities.
The region has also experienced El Niño induced flooding following consecutive failed rainy seasons. This has resulted in community displacement, limited access to safe, clean water, and an increase in the prevalence of diseases such as cholera, soil-transmitted helminth infections (STH), and yellow fever.
How do you see the benefit of Integral and the value of collaboration in this context?
Through Integral, our partnership with World Concern has strengthened and has allowed our deworming programme to grow. Collaborating as Integral Members has allowed us both to share our complementary expertise and knowledge in the field and develop a programme that supports patients through education and delivering essential medicine.
What are some of your hopes for the future? What more would you like to do?
We are continuing to work with World Concern in sending more shipments to Kenya as well as Somalia in 2025. We are also looking for opportunities for joint funding to engage with more Partners and continue developing the de-worming programme to help reach more patients in the Horn of Africa.
