2013 International Pneumonia Day Celebrations

Dubbed “Stand Up and Fight against Pneumonia Initiative 2023” the project was celebrated on the 12th of November in a colourful ceremony complete with a theme song. The initiative sought to engage with the protracted lack of knowledge and information on Pneumonia among the ever swelling Somali and Oromo refugee populations in the area. This was meant to empower them to connect with the problem in a manner that would reduce infant mortality which has been a common occurrence. The targeted refugees, who often times speak very little or no English or Swahili; the media for public communication in Kenya, are faced with a serious handicap in regard to deciphering functional health information. This leaves them predisposed to ignorance which leads to the death of infants afflicted by Pneumonia. Empowering them with this knowledge means ensuring that they are enabled to tell the conditions under which the disease thrives as well as equipping them with information on preventive measures against Pneumonia. Correspondingly, this initiative was aimed at making them able to tell possible cases of the disease at the onset with a view to triggering positive remedial and medical action.

It also endeavored to boost their confidence in terms of having the relevant information on the availability of medical services that would mitigate on the overall impact of the disease. As a result, we look forward to witnessing reduced prevalence of Pneumonia among refugee children under the age of five, increased immunization against Child-Pneumonia by the target beneficiary as well as increased capacity among parents and guardians to handle possible incidences of the disease in the short and long runs.