The Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC) was established with the assistance of the Japanese government, through JICA, under the Global Parasite Control Initiative.

ESACIPAC's mission is to undertake human resource development to strengthen research and control programmes on parasitic diseases in the eastern and southern Africa region, covering Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania mainland, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

In line with its vision of becoming a regional centre of reference in parasite control, the Centre has, since its official inauguration in 2002, conducted four international courses aimed at building capacity in programme management. These annual courses have sequentially focused on strategic planning and implementation, and school health and nutrition programme management. The last two courses were jointly organized with the Partnership for Child Development of Imperial College, London. Other collaborators in ESACIPAC courses include the JICA, WHO, the World Bank and other locally based International Organizations.

Besides organizing international courses, ESACIPAC runs a successful school-based parasite control project covering all the 92 primary schools in Mwea division, central Kenya. The project provides a model field site where visiting course participants experience practical challenges and opportunities in relation to school health and deworming. All the schools in Mwea have undergone rounds of deworming (administered by trained teachers) for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths, and the infections have tremendously declined.

In the years to come, we intend to strengthen and widen our partnership to enhance delivery of parasite control services in the region with the support of the governments of member countries.