Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Bike4Care

last updated May 18, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Cycling out of Poverty (CooP)
Implementation Partner(s): 
Delft University of Technology
Legal Status: 
Private (not-for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Pilot/startup stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
Private donors + Safaricom

Scale

Personnel Employed: 
10-49
Summary: 

This project will improve access to health care by implementing bicycle ambulances in rural communities. In this program health workers are equipped with a bicycle, and isolated communities are equipped with bicycles plus bicycle ambulance trailers.

Program goals/rationale: 

Most rural areas in Kenya are unreachable by regular vehicles due to rough terrain and impassable roads, the bicycle ambulances are used for emergency visits and transportation for better access to health centres. Accessibility of medical facilities is a matter of life and death because many Africans live far away from the nearest health centres and in medical emergencies they need to walk long distances.

Key program components: 

A bicycle can save lives and enable medical staff to visit more patients each day. A bicycle ambulance makes it possible for patients to reach health centres quickly and horizontally. The bicycle is used as a mobile pharmacy to enable people in rural areas to access affordable medicine.

Through this program, the capacity of health workers to visit more patients is improved by the increase of the capture area and speed. The programme also provides a fast and efficient first aid emergency transport system.Health workers will use the bicycle for door-to-door health checks and counselling.

Program history: 

In 2004 Marieke de Wild and Luuk Eickmans lived in Uganda for 6 months. They cooperated with an organisation called FABIO, an organisation that gave out bicycles on micro credit. They are conducting research on the impact of bicycles on the livelihood of poor African women and their families. The results were impressive and upon return in the Netherlands they couldn't forget about it. Under the name "Cycling out of poverty" they started small scale fundraising to support FABIO in Uganda and two other organisations in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Wild Geese and NCDO financially supported these first projects. Early 2007 Cycling out of Poverty was registered as an official foundation and during the same year it won the award for best action&PR.

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