Training local people in Africa
Riders for Health knows that no development in Africa can be sustainable in the long term unless it is managed by local people. That is why training is at the heart of our work and why, in 2002, we established the International Academy of Vehicle Management (IAVM) in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Safety
Road accidents are one of the biggest causes of premature death in Africa so all trainees learn how to drive and ride in a safe, controlled manner and sympathetically to the harsh road conditions. Not only does this make accidents very rare, it also means that the vehicles don’t break down. We make sure that our trainees know how important it is to wear the right protective clothing. 
Before her training, Violet Ng’ambi had never even ridden a bicycle. She can now ride a motorcycle safely and confidently over some of the most rugged terrain in southern Africa.
'When you are not used to riding a motorcycle, that’s when you find it difficult,’ she said. ‘I had to be courageous. This is a really good experience. People are counting on me and this is something big which I am part of.'
Maintenance
Riders aims to build a culture of preventative maintenance throughout all of our programmes in Africa. This means that vehicles never break down unnecessarily and disrupt the delivery of vital health care to those in need.
We teach health care workers to follow a daily checks system for their vehicle so that it does not break down in between monthly servicing from a trained technician. These checks are called PLANS because the health worker tests for Petrol, Lubricants, Adjustments, Nuts and bolts, and Stop (brakes, and tyres).
We train a network of highly skilled technicians who travel out to service vehicles in the communities in which they run. This means that health workers do not waste valuable time away from their patients. Riders technician apprenticeships are nationally recognised. Trainees spend four years in college and in industry to gain their qualification. 
IAVM
In 2002, Riders opened the International Academy of Vehicle Management in Zimbabwe. Based at the motorsports complex at Donnybrook on the outskirts of Harare, the IAVM offers courses in safe driving and riding, vehicle maintenance and fleet management.
It is a registered driving school with tracks of varying African terrain so that our trainees are well prepared to travel the long distances to their communities. The excellent facilities include a classroom, IT services and a teaching workshop for the trainees to learn how to carry our basic maintenance on motorcycles.
On top of the core elements of safety and maintenance, Fleet managers are taught in route planning and accounts. They can then replicate their training skills in programmes across other African countries. For more information on fleet management courses click here. 
Delegates from across Africa have attended the IAVM and many of our training staff have visited other Riders programmes to share expertise amongst our teams.
Sustainability
Riders focus on training creates local capacity and ensures that skills in vehicle management are passed on for future generations.
Since its launch eight years ago, our team at the IAVM have trained over 1,700 delegates. This means that thousands of health care workers are able to travel long distances to provide isolated people with reliable, regular health care.
‘It gives me a great sense of satisfaction when people come in for training scared and jittery, and at the end of the training they will be enjoying it so much we have to force them off their bike! You can tell what it means to them and the difference it will make to the way they will do their work of helping the needy,’ says Alfred Gonga, Replications Director and former Principal of the IAVM .