Impact of our Work
Riders' work is helping to reach millions of people, providing health workers with the means of reaching even the most isolated communities with the regular health care that is essential if Africa is to rid itself of the easily preventable diseases that are still causing huge problems.
In 2005 the international business consultancy OC&C carried out a pro-bono due diligence report on Riders for Health’s activities in Africa. They found that Riders was having clear economic, social and health benefits and was also increasing health worker outreach.
Health benefits
‘I am extremely proud of my bike. I live in a village near the hospital and I feel very important knowing that thanks to this bike I can help my people.' Pumilani, a health worker in Binga in Zimbabwe.
In the Binga district of Zimbabwe, Riders have helped to mobilise 16 outreach health workers like Pumilani. Because the health workers can reach the rural communities with health care, and can provide people with the education they need to prevent disease, malaria deaths have decreased 21, compared with a 44% increase in neighbouring region, where Riders was not operating. Click here to download the full story of the Binga district.
The due-diligence report found that the mobility afforded by Riders enables health workers to diagnose and treat more patients. In 2002, after Riders began operating in the Gambia, there was a 261% increase in diagnoses of diarrhoea, a 75% increase in diagnoses of acute respiratory infection, and 55% increase in the diagnosis of malaria, compared to 2001.
Riders has also helped increase the proportion of fully immunised infants in The Gambia. The immunisation rates amongst infants have risen from 62% to 73% while Riders has been operating.
Increased health worker outreach
‘Before I had the motorcycle, I had to walk or hire a donkey cart to visit my villages. Many of the communities would not see me for a month or more. But now I can visit them at any time of the day or night, and they see me at least once a week.” Manyo Gibba, a health worker in the Gambia.
Health workers like Manyo can have to care for up to 20,000 people, and Manyo herself is responsible for 14 villages over a large area. The only way that she can reach them regularly is because she has a working motorcycle. Read Manyo’s story by clicking here.
OC&C found that Riders dramatically increases the number of health workers that can be kept mobile on a given budget. For example, they found that in a Riders supported area in Zimbabwe there are around 90% more health workers using vehicles than in areas where Riders is not working. This means that Riders is able to help more health workers become mobilized, allowing them to reach even the most isolated villages.
Social Benefits
‘My vision is for the academy to become the ‘centre of excellence’ we have always envisaged. A centre where people from all over the world will be coming to learn how to run vehicles without breakdown.’ Alfred Gonga, Principal of the International Academy of Vehicle Management.
By providing training for health workers, technicians and fleet managers, Alfred and his team at the IAVM are help to improve the knowledge and skills needed to keep vehicles on the road and reaching people. You can read more about Alfred and his work in this profile.
Riders only employs nationals of the countries in which we work, and the health workers that we support are employed by the ministries of health in those countries. This means that Riders is helping to build a sustainable solution. Riders does not use volunteers, people on ‘gap years’ or western expatriates in its programmes. This means that the skills and knowledge that Riders brings stays in the country. Even if people that work for Riders leave the organisation the knowledge that they have learn from Riders stays in the country and is passed on.
The OC&C report found that Riders programmes have empowered women in the countries where they work. Roughly 15% of health professionals trained to ride motorcycles by Riders have been women. 100% of Uhuru drivers are women and the Uhuru committees are composed mainly of women. The programme directors in Zimbabwe, the Gambia and Lesotho are all women.
Economic benefits
The OC&C report found that Riders has dramatically reduced the fleet maintenance costs associated with health worker outreach in Zimbabwe and Gambia. There was a 62% reduction in annual motorcycle fleet maintenance cost per thousand people reached by health workers in Zimbabwe.