The Briefing Book: Opening welcome to senior delegation

August 4, 2009

Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE, and Admiral William Fallon (ret.) prepare their opening letter to the senior delegation before their trip to Kenya.

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome! We are very excited that you are joining us on this senior delegation trip to Kenya, led by CSIS and CARE, from August 10-12, 2009.

This trip will give you an opportunity to examine the effectiveness of U.S. government health investments in Kenya, while gaining a more complete picture of maternal and child health programs implemented on the ground. Through observation and open dialogue, we hope to identify both the opportunities and challenges these programs face.

More specifically, the delegation will visit a mix of sites within Kenya (both in and outside of Nairobi), hold consultations with senior leadership figures and civil society groups, and host a public forum with Kenyan counterparts.  At each juncture, delegates will be asked to consider:  

• What impacts are being achieved across multiple U.S. investments? How are results measured? How are results used to inform future efforts?
• How do we bring about effective, accountable integration of efforts, across US government programs and those of other major organizations (e.g. Global Fund, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, Department for International Development)?
• How can we bring about heightened support for improved policies and more integrated funding for maternal, newborn, and child health?
• How do we plan for long-term sustainability of current efforts?

We look forward to your participation!

Please bring your questions, comments, testimony and experiences for the Commissioners as they prepare for their Aug 10-13 delegation to Kenya.

Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE, and Admiral William Fallon (ret.)