Riders for Health

I mentioned Riders for Health in the Ross Noble tour post.

In case you don't know about RfH, here's some info from their web site:

http://www.riders.org/default.aspx

http://www.riders.org/about.aspx

Vision and Mission


Riders for Health’s vision is of a world in which no one will die of an easily preventable or curable disease because barriers of distance, terrain or poverty prevent them from being reached.

Riders for Health manages and maintains the vehicles used in the delivery of health care and other vital services to rural communities in Africa . We manage them on a planned, preventive basis so that the vehicles do not break down however difficult the conditions. In this way our partners can deliver their services predictably and cost-effectively.

Despite the fact that access to public health, as well as prevention and cure for disease, are basic human needs, men women and children in Africa die of easily preventable and curable disease because they do not have that access. The knowledge and resources exist to prevent this waste of human life and the associated suffering, but those resources routinely fail to reach the people who need them because of lack of reliable transport.

Riders works with ministries of health and other agencies working to improve the health and lives of rural communities in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, the Gambia, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.

The management of transport is the most neglected and yet one of the most vital aspects of development. It enables the Millennium Development Goals to be addressed and conserves the high costs of vehicle purchase and operation, so that resources can be refocused on direct humanitarian support.

Their shop http://www.riders.org/shop.aspx has some interesting ideas - rather than just buying something there's also the option of 'sponsorship' so that if you make a donation you'll know exactly what level of support that money will offer them, such as £55 - the most expensive option - buying a day's training for a health worker.

So if you're looking for an unusal Christmas or birthday present for the biker (or motorcyclist :) ) in the family, look no further!



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