Riders for Health

What is the barrier? In many parts of the world, simply reaching a trained health professional can make all the difference in saving a mother’s life. Watch this video on the importance of Transportation and Access.

What is the goal? EMC’s goal is to ensure that a recently deployed fleet of motorcycles in western Kenya stays on the road and that at least one new motorcycle is added to transport more health workers to women in need.

Where? Western Kenya- one of the hardest hit countries in terms of maternal mortality

How can you help? Gather your friends or your moms group, host a mini-fundraiser or just contribute on your own to help us reach this target. In total, the costs to reach our goal is $20,000. Whatever piece of that total you can provide will help….here’s a sense of what your contributions can do:

· $20 could provide fuel for a health worker for two weeks

· $30 could provide a basic tool kit for a health worker

· $45 could cover the costs of replacement parts for one month

· $50 could provide a helmet for a health worker

· $100 could provide six months of outreach maintenance for a health worker’s motorcycle

· $500 for one set of protective clothing

· $500 could train a health worker in motorcycle maintenance and safe riding

· $2000 could cover one year’s running costs for one motorcycle

· $5000 could provide one motorcycle

Women just like Janet (as shown in No Woman, No Cry) often just can’t physically reach the care they need. Providers are a multi-mile walk away and even if she can get there (ever try walking five miles while in labor?), those providers may not be equipped to help. Getting to those trained in emergency care on foot is often completely out of the question.

Almost 80% of Kenya’s population lives in rural communities. With the nearest health center in Western Kenya typically 12 miles away, a woman here won't receive care unless an outreach health worker is able to reach her. Only 14% of Kenya's roads here are paved. Hills, mud, and clay tracks make all other travel incredibly difficult. It is critical that outreach health workers in Western Kenya have reliable transportation in order to reach the villages they serve.

Riders for Health provides outreach health workers across Western Kenya with reliable transportation and the necessary training in riding, driving, and maintenance so that they can help health care workers across Africa reach isolated and vulnerable people with regular and predictable care.

Managed transportation plays a key role in reducing maternal and new born mortality. As part of a health workers outreach service to their community, they are able to carry out prenatal and postnatal visits to women in rural communities in Western Kenya and to support the diagnosis process essential for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

Thanks to well managed motorcycles, Riders have found that the health care providers can reach 7 times more people with care than they could before.

Click here to help.