Benin

December 12-18, 2005
Vaccinations: 1,137,163
Deaths averted per year: 1,706

December 2001 and November 2002
Children vaccinated: 2,693,709
Deaths averted per year: 2,990
Volunteers: 556
Percentage of targeted population reached: 102.1%

One-third of the country was covered with vaccination campaigns in 2001, with the remaining two-thirds to be completed in 2002.

The goal behind the Benin campaign was to learn how to operationally organize things on a small scale before going nationwide. Uganda did the same thing with small campaigns first. The target was 33% coverage (as a pilot) and the remaining 66% next year. By day four, over 415,000 children had been vaccinated.

• January 23, 2006 — Star Power Supports Red Cross Vaccination Program
  Famed actor and director Sidney Poitier and Sherry Lansing, former head of Paramount Pictures, joined a delegation from the American Red Cross to see first hand the impact of the Measles Initiative program
  - http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_440_5080,00.html

  Journey to Benin

• December 12, 2005 — Benin Vaccination Campaign this Week Marks Culmination and Success of Measles Initiative’s Five-Year Vaccination Goal
  Sidney Poitier and Sherry Lansing to join trip to celebrate 1 million lives saved through vaccinations
  - http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1077,0_314_4981,00.html