Remote communities in rural Gambia are now benefitting from access to health care, thanks to Riders for Health and Global Giving

Thanks to the support of the donors of GlobalGiving, Riders for Health have been ensuring that communities living in rural Gambia can be reached with health care and helped in emergency situations. This has been done by providing them with an Uhuru.

The Uhuru is a multi-purpose vehicle that can act as community ambulance, water pump and freight carrier in a region isolated by great distances and harsh terrain. Thanks to the generous support of the Globalgiving donors, Riders for Health have been able to run these community ambulances, and ensure that health emergencies can be dealt with quickly.

Vehicle for referrals
The Uhuru isn’t simply used in emergency situations. Because it is far cheaper and more reliable than the few vehicles that can be found in rural Africa, it is often used by people with chronic conditions.

The Story of Mr Sungano
Mr Sungano has a chronic condition which requires regular visits to the clinic and a constant supply of medication.

“Before the Uhuru it used to be a nightmare to get to the hospital,” said Mr Sungano. “My family had to hire a vehicle, which would cost a lot of money and leave me feeling very guilty that I was eating a lot into the family’s savings. Sometimes I would miss my monthly hospital visits. This would cause me a lot of pain since I would run out of medicine.”

Things have been different since Mr Sungano started using the Uhuru. The community ambulance is not expensive and individuals he knows and who understand his condition operate it.

“What I like most about the Uhuru is that the riders were trained Basic First Aid and as a result they are very careful and courteous when transporting patients. I also feel that my wife and sister who look after me have been saved a great deal by the Uhuru as they now have more time to perform other important tasks such as working in the fields.”

Mr. Sungano no longer has to worry about transport now. He has agreed on a timetable with the local Uhuru rider on dates and time she has to come and pick him up for the hospital visits.

Thank you
None of this would have been possible without the generous support we have received through GlobalGiving. On behalf of all the villages in the Gambia now benefitting from a community ambulance, Riders for Health would like to say “thank you”. For any more information please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 00 44 1327 300 047 or on ajenkinson@riders.org.

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• A health worker with her Uhuru (TIF)