Every May, the world joins forces to tackle one of the most silent yet deadly threats to public health—high blood pressure. This year, I had the privilege of contributing meaningfully to May Measurement Month (MMM) 2025, a global initiative championed by the International Society of Hypertension and led in Kenya by the Kenya Cardiac Society.
As Chief Program Officer at Stowelink Foundation, I spearheaded our organization’s on-ground campaign efforts, focusing on weekly blood pressure screening and education activities in Githurai 44. From May 12th through the end of the month, my team and I were in the field every Sunday, ensuring that communities not only had access to screening services but also walked away empowered with knowledge on hypertension and how to manage it.
📊 Over four weekends, we screened more than 1,000 individuals:
- Week 1 – 274 screened
- Week 2 – 252 screened
- Week 3 – 222 screened
- Week 4 – 258 screened
Beyond coordinating the logistics and community engagement, I also played a technical support role on behalf of the Kenya Cardiac Society. This included allocating site codes to screening locations and supporting data entry into the official MMM App, ensuring that every individual screened contributed to the global dataset used to inform policy and healthcare interventions.
Along the way, I witnessed firsthand some critical insights:
- Women were more willing to get screened, showing greater concern for their cardiovascular health.
- Many men were dismissive, claiming they felt fine and didn’t see the need for screening—highlighting a persistent behavioral barrier we must address.
- Older adults were more receptive than youth, and some community members requested that we incorporate services like blood sugar checks into future outreaches.
This experience reaffirmed something I deeply believe: community health interventions must be both accessible and adaptable to the unique attitudes and needs of different populations.
I’m proud of the entire Stowelink team for their dedication, and grateful to our partners at the Kenya Cardiac Society and the International Society of Hypertension for leading this life-saving global campaign.
At the heart of it all is a simple message I’ll continue to echo:
✅ Know your numbers.
✅ Check your pressure.
✅ Protect your heart.
Let’s keep the momentum going.
#MMM2025 #BigSqueeze #SleevesUp #ActOnNCDs #LeadOnNCDs #ItsTimeToLead
ODUOR KEVIN 