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Global Health
by Amy Pisani (amyp@ecbt.org)

Throughout 2006, ECBT is including a special section in our newsletter highlighting TIME magazine's “global health heroes”. These are people who have dedicated their lives, often at great personal risk, to provide healthcare and related services to families in economically deprived nations. It is our hope that you will consider sharing details about the good works being conducted by these dedicated individuals and organizations with your colleagues throughout the healthcare and public advocacy fields. We also hope that reading about these individuals will inspire you to take action at home by urging your legislators to support increased appropriations to global health and that you may consider donating to organizations that support efforts in the third world.

This month's heroes are Barry and Andrea Coleman of Great Britain whose unique contributions to health care in Africa demonstrates the critical importance of partnerships and out-of-the box remedies.

At first glance, one might assume that this husband and wife duo were just an average couple who enjoy an afternoon tea each day in a warm and lovely British hillside cottage. In reality, Barry is a successful motorcycling news correspondent and feature writer for the Guardian newspaper in Great Britain and Andrea was a pro motorcycle rider for five years and is the granddaughter of a race organizer, daughter of an engineer and widow of a rider who died in a crash in 1979.

Her work for American motorcycle race champion Randy Mamola, brought her in touch with Save the Children. As Mamola's public relations manager, it was Andrea's job to determine how best to utilize Mamola's prestige and fund-raising ability to help children in Africa. Save the Children organized a visit for Mamola and the Colemans to Somalia, where they immediately noticed the littering of abandoned motorbikes throughout the countryside. It occurred to the visitors that the rough terrain, coupled with a lack of knowledge regarding mechanics was rendering perfectly fixable bikes useless. Save the Children told the group that one of the biggest challenges to immunizing children was access in remote villages.

A pilot program was initiated in Uganda and Gambia to acquire motorcycles and train riders and technicians to maintain the motorbikes. With the help of Save the Children and local governments, they built a fleet of motorbikes and expanded into Zimbabwe, where they began using sidecars as mini-ambulances and to double as a water pump when not in use. Zimbabwe now has 1,000 vehicles to deliver healthcare to nearly 20,000 patients. Malaria related deaths in the Binga district have been reduced by 20% through the program which mobilized the delivery of bed nets and health care workers themselves. Later what is now known as Riders for Health expanded into Gambia and Nigeria and now includes refrigerated trucks, minivans and ambulances.

Barry and Andrea Coleman have saved the lives of untold numbers of families, and that is why they are considered one of TIME magazine's (and Every Child By Two's) Global Health Heroes. For more information on how you can support the work of the Riders, please take the time to visit this very inspiring website at http://www.riders.org/en/html/home.php

RIDERS QUICK FACT
In Africa, one in every 14 pregnant women dies in childbirth. In the developed world it is only one in 5000. Riders for Health has developed the Uhuru, a specially designed motorcycle and sidecar with a pop up seat for women in threatening labor.