With a passion for improving the world through service, Michael Meegan is a committed activist who utilizes his skills as a Community Health professional to address health and women’s rights issues within Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as throughout Asia.
Today, Michael Meegan continues to address a wide range of community health issues experienced by those living in Sub-Saharan Africa, including communities within Kenya. Many of Meegan’s initiatives are directed through International Community for Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS)—an organization he co-founded in 1979 in a partnership with Dr. Joe Barnes.
Over the years, ICROSS has established itself as a leading, innovative organization that has explored new opportunities for improving health and living conditions within Kenya and other Sub-Saharan communities. The many years of research and service that ICROSS members and volunteers have dedicated to these communities has led to an expansive improvement of living conditions for citizens. As a result, Mike and his associates have developed a proven plan to establish long-term health within Kenya and beyond. Today, Meegan and other ICROSS team members remain dedicated to the organization’s model for improved health and environment.
While ICROSS focuses on improving Community Health, the organization remains dedicated to achieving progress that is aligned with humanitarian values and philosophy. Strongly believing that no child should suffer from unnecessary famine, poverty or health issues, Michael Meegan and the ICROSS team have expanded upon short-term projects that do not provide long-term relief.
As a result of this awareness, he and other ICROSS members work to provide African communities with the tools and resources to provide for themselves and achieve long-term relief of hunger and poverty. As part of this initiative, Meegan is also committed to addressing issues concerning women’s rights in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as by building women’s health clinics and empowering citizens to gain professional skills for ongoing subsistence.
Michael Meegan has provided assistance to global health and human rights issues for more than 30 years, specifically focusing on Kenyan and Sub-Saharan communities in Africa. While Meegan’s extensive experience abroad is a strong testament to the amount of dedication and passion he brings to improving humanitarian matters abroad, it is important to look at his lifelong motivations that have inspired him to give his life to such important causes.
Ever since he was a child, Michael has consistently been inspired by the actions and thoughts of Mother Teresa. Specifically, Meegan notes that Mother Teresa’s selflessness and never-ending compassion for all humans are examples that have motivated him to make a positive impact across the globe where it is needed. In witnessing the tremendous influence that Mother Teresa made as a single human being, Meegan believes that every person has the capacity to create change in unbelievable ways if they set their minds to it. Whether there is need to end struggles in human health, poverty, personal freedoms, education or famine, Meegan says all one has to do is look back at the efforts and accomplishments of Mother Teresa of Calcutta for encouragement.
Fascinated and moved by the ideals of Mother Teresa, Michael Meegan began his exploration into the human condition as an undergraduate student focusing on Psychology. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Meegan was able to see the world from many different perspectives. Particularly, he was able to better understand the many issues of suffering experienced by those in foreign parts of the world, including Asia and Africa. While he had always remained aware of the famine, poverty, and illness that afflicted these communities, his academic background in philosophy provided him with the ability to understand these issues in direct relation to the human experience.
Although his educational pursuits in philosophy allowed Michael Meegan to become a well-rounded and devoted humanitarian, his desire to make a positive change in the world’s suffering encouraged him to continue his education. As such, Mike earned his Master’s Degree in Community Health from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, allowing him to fully grasp the breadth of health and humanitarian issues impacting impoverished nations. Paired with his experiences in philosophy, Meegan’s new understanding of community health provided him the ability to discover real, long-term solutions with a humanitarian drive. This education continues to serve him today as he works with ICROSS to implement a series of progressive initiatives to build stronger communities within Kenya and other regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.
In order to establish new solutions to improve livelihood within suffering and impoverished communities, Michael knew that it was essential to understand what specific issues have afflicted given areas for many years. In terms of improving health conditions within these communities, Meegan has recognized and focused on the matters that have continued to take lives and dramatically compromised well-being within Africa. For instance, Mike has become passionate about improving awareness and treatment of common health concerns, such as diarrhea, HIV/AIDS, malaria and famine.
Believing that education is the critical source of progress, Michael Meegan has focused much of his efforts through ICROSS to provide community citizens with the knowledge to improve personal health, as well as living conditions. In addition to raising awareness among citizens in these communities, he has also dedicated his work to inform public health professionals, politicians, and volunteers on the ways to improve life in suffering nations.
Mr. Meegan has continued to raise awareness by not only providing extensive service and training, but also authoring several texts and leading talks on the community health and humanitarian matters impacting life in African communities.
While raising awareness remains a major part of his initiatives, he has also proven committed to providing additional physical resources to those communities he has helped. Specifically, Mike is credited for his commitment to building health clinics within Kenya and other Sub-Saharan communities for women and other impoverished citizens facing humanitarian and health challenges. According to Michael Meegan, the progress that he and his team have made over the years through ICROSS would not have been possible without the continued financial donations and services from organization supporters.
Having achieved considerable progress through ICROSS, Michael Meegan remains devoted to assisting the efforts of this organization. Understanding that his desire to improve living conditions and community health with Kenya and beyond involves a lifelong commitment, Mike anticipates providing continued service and research to help developing nations.
In addition to remaining focused on reducing famine and other public health issues within Kenya and other Sub-Saharan communities, he is currently committed to improving women’s rights within these areas. He explains that women in these communities continue to face many abuses and instances of inequality, such as forced female circumcision. In order to resolve these matters, Meegan and his team continue to build clinics and educate female citizens on how they can work to achieve equality, maintain health and provide for their children.
As noted above, he has found that education is a critical component to improving the way citizens in Kenya and other developing communities address public health and humanitarianism. While ICROSS works to leverage educational programs within these areas, Meegan has also shown a strong interest in educating all world citizens on how to resolve these matters.
Believing that improving human rights and public health requires the support of all nations, he has authored texts such as All Will Be Well, Changing the World and Surprised by Joy to inspire and inform other concerned individuals. Currently, Mike anticipates the release of three new titles on related topics within the near future.
Although Michael Meegan remains an inspiration to many and continues to provide services to those in need, he reminds all individuals that the true road to progress necessitates the compassion, awareness, and service of the entire global public.