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RIDERS FOR HEALTH

Bob Pickett learns motorcycles save lives in Africa

Without this RfH bike, the patient would probably die One in sixteen women in Africa die in childbirth. The vastness of the continent, combined with the lack of transport and often roads means that many communities are isolated from medical care. Add to this the extreme poverty and it becomes clear there is a serious problem. It is necessary to take health services to the people.

Given the vast distances to be covered, walking is impossible and cars or vans are expensive to buy and maintain, as well as often being unsuitable over the rough terrain common to many parts of the continent. The answer lies in the motorcycle. However, over the years many have tried to run fleets of bikes, only to fail time and again. With one notable exception.

Riders for Health run a series of successful schemes in Africa. Where they operate; Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Gambia and Ghana, large fleets of bikes are run day after day without ever breaking down. The key to this comes from two core strategies; education and equipment.

No ordinary ambulance could cross this terrain Teams of managers and technicians run the fleets in key countries. Initially Riders send in advisors to help establish teams of local people, gradually withdrawing as the teams build experience and confidence. The teams can then establish new teams themselves. In time, Africans provide all the training and the systems are run by Africans, providing vital continuity.

The other key to success is the equipment. Yamaha AG100’s – agricultural bikes, chosen for their suitability to rough environments are used. These robust little bikes are simple and cheap to run and maintain, vital in such a poor region.

The Uhuru - simple but incredibly effective But a bike on it’s own does not provide the answer to the health care transport issue. Riders for Health have overcome this with the development of the Uruhu - a specially designed, lightweight but extremely robust sidecar, built to be easily attached to the Yamaha. But the Uhuru is far more than a sidecar; features include a water-pump, purifier, refrigerator and electricity generator. By simply swapping purpose-built modules, the Uhuru can be transformed into a stretcher for “safe motherhood transport”, pumping station, dental surgery, immunisation site, a passenger vehicle or even a freight train!

So are Riders for Health effective? The most significant sign of Riders for Health’s strength and abilities comes from the announcement that the government of The Gambia handed over the management of all their Department for Health vehicles. This is the first time a ministry of health in Africa has ever commissioned a non-governmental organization to orchestrate medical services transport.

A Riders’ spokesman said “Gambia’s Department of State for Health is among the most forward-thinking and innovative in Africa and we look forward to working with them for the good of the communities throughout the country for many years to come”.

The MotoGP circuit works hard for RfH - Valentino Rossi is no exception The MotoGP circuit puts time and effort into supporting the work of RfH, with regular collections, auctions and events being organised throughout the MotoGP season to assist with fund raising. But we can also help.

Honda, who donated 75 motorcycles to Riders for Health, also recognize the importance of Rider’s work. At the presentation, Andrea Coleman had this to say: ‘Riders for Health has gone from strength to strength as a result of the amazing commitment of MotoGP and I cannot over-emphasise the importance of Honda’s contribution at this stage in our development. Now that we have a reliable maintenance system in place, these motorcycles will enable health workers to bring primary health care to about 20,000 people each – that’s around one and a half million people. Without reliable transport that is just not going to happen – that’s the scale of the transport crisis in Africa.’

‘A donation of this kind should also draw attention to some of the more extravagant claims being made about the future of health care in Africa. For example, how can the US government’s intended donation of $15bn to fight HIV-AIDS be helpful when there is no transport system available to deliver either personal care or drugs?’

Your donation could be the thing that saves their lives Any donation, no matter how small will help Riders for Health to continue to save lives in Africa. You can make a donation online via secure server on their website, or send a cheque to:

Riders for Health, 3 New Street, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 4BT, United Kingdom.

Riders for Health have an ultimate aim to put in place by 2015, a completely reliable system available for the complete delivery of health services throughout Africa. Once this is in place, they estimate that they will have improved health delivery in Africa by an incredible 500%

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