How Riders is helping fight malaria
Malaria can be easily prevented by making sure that people sleep under bed nets dipped in insecticide, and that buildings are sprayed to kill the mosquitoes. But these interventions will have no impact if they do not reach the people that need them. By making sure health workers have access to reliable transport, Riders is helping to fight malaria across Africa.
The Gambia
In the Gambia, local health worker Manyo Gibba works with communities to check the condition of their mosquito nets, which are provided free of charge to pregnant mothers and children under five.
Thanks to Riders, Manyo has a motorcycle that she uses to travel between all the villages in her area. Riders services the bike regularly so that it never breaks down, and has trained Manyo how to ride it safely and carry out all the daily checks on her machine so that it always runs perfectly.
‘In the past, I wasn’t able to take part in the national campaigns on immunisation or bed-net dipping,’ says Manyo, ‘but now I can reach all my villages to carry out this work. I can also visit the schools to provide health education and advice to make sure that people don’t fall ill.’
In the areas where Riders is working, making sure that people have access to treated bed nets makes a huge difference to the number of people that suffer from malaria.
Zimbabwe
The impact of having effective transport can be clearly seen in Zimbabwe. In Binga district, Riders mobilised all 16 out-reach health workers. These health workers are advising villagers on the necessary precautions they can take to avoid malaria, as well as distributing mosquito nets and tools for disinfestations, and instructing volunteers on how to use them.
Thanks to this systematic approach Binga has seen a 20% drop in deaths from malaria, while cases in the neighbouring district of Gokwe have continued to rise.
Malaria is the biggest cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, but by taking the simple steps above, millions of lives could be saved each year. But these interventions will only work if they reach the people that need them. To help make sure that Riders can continue to help in the fight against malaria, click here to make a donation.