Riders for Health
Encyclopedia
Riders for Health is an international non-profit organisation that provides health-care to rural African villages using motorcycle
s and motorcycle ambulance
s. By providing healthcare door-to-door, the organisation is hoping to help fight the spread of AIDS
. The project has resulted in reducing the disease and illnesses by getting patients much-needed medicine.
and feature writer for The Guardian
newspaper in Britain. Andrea was a professional rider for five years. In 1986, with the help of racing legend Randy Mamola
, they contacted the representatives of Save the Children
, who told them that one of the biggest problems they had in getting the children immunised was reaching the ones in remote villages. The Colemans went to Africa and saw the woeful state of the roads. They also noticed a lot of abandoned motorbikes, left by the earlier aid workers, that needed repair. Motorcycles are well-suited for harsh African landscape, where roads are often busted, rutted or simply non-existent. With the help of Linda Paterson, Save the Children, the local governments and money raised at bike rallies in England, they set-up pilot programs in Uganda
and Gambia, and helped acquire motorcycles and train riders and technicians. They built a fleet of 47 bikes in Lesotho that delivered health-care services from 1991 to 1996 without a breakdown. At the end of that period, Riders for Health became an independent organisation and had expanded into Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. They have since diversified its fleet to include refrigerated trucks
, minivans and ambulance
s and introduced a motorcycle ambulance
fitted with a sidecar
called the Uhuru that can be used as a mini-ambulance and double as a water pump
when the bike is stationary.
The UK offices are based in Pitsford
, Northamptonshire
. There are also many offices worldwide.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s and motorcycle ambulance
Motorcycle ambulance
Motorcycle ambulances are a type of emergency vehicle which either carries a solo paramedic or first responder to a patient; or is used with a trailer or sidecar for transporting patients...
s. By providing healthcare door-to-door, the organisation is hoping to help fight the spread of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. The project has resulted in reducing the disease and illnesses by getting patients much-needed medicine.
History
Riders for Health was the idea of Barry and Andrea Coleman, a British husband-and-wife team without a medical background. Barry worked as a correspondentCorrespondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
and feature writer for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper in Britain. Andrea was a professional rider for five years. In 1986, with the help of racing legend Randy Mamola
Randy Mamola
Randy Mamola born in San Jose, California is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is considered one of the most talented riders never to have won a world championship.-Career:...
, they contacted the representatives of Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
, who told them that one of the biggest problems they had in getting the children immunised was reaching the ones in remote villages. The Colemans went to Africa and saw the woeful state of the roads. They also noticed a lot of abandoned motorbikes, left by the earlier aid workers, that needed repair. Motorcycles are well-suited for harsh African landscape, where roads are often busted, rutted or simply non-existent. With the help of Linda Paterson, Save the Children, the local governments and money raised at bike rallies in England, they set-up pilot programs in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Gambia, and helped acquire motorcycles and train riders and technicians. They built a fleet of 47 bikes in Lesotho that delivered health-care services from 1991 to 1996 without a breakdown. At the end of that period, Riders for Health became an independent organisation and had expanded into Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. They have since diversified its fleet to include refrigerated trucks
Refrigerator truck
A refrigerator truck is a van or truck designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Like refrigerator cars, refrigerated trucks differ from simple insulated and ventilated vans , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
, minivans and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
s and introduced a motorcycle ambulance
Motorcycle ambulance
Motorcycle ambulances are a type of emergency vehicle which either carries a solo paramedic or first responder to a patient; or is used with a trailer or sidecar for transporting patients...
fitted with a sidecar
Sidecar
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was...
called the Uhuru that can be used as a mini-ambulance and double as a water pump
Water Pump
Water Pump is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is near main Water Pump that supplies fresh water to the city of Karachi....
when the bike is stationary.
The UK offices are based in Pitsford
Pitsford
Pitsford is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 636 people...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. There are also many offices worldwide.
External links
- Podcast interview with Andrea Coleman, co-founder Social Innovation Conversations, June 5, 2008
- Official website
- Riders for Health official channel at YouTube