Daventry, UK, 2nd August 2024 – Hankook has recently celebrated 18 years of corporate partnership with Transaid - donating prizes for fundraising events, participating in cycle challenges, and most recently, providing four bicycle ambulances to help transform lives through safe, available and sustain- able transport. The bicycle ambulance service initiative ensures faster access to health care services for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, a simple innovation that delivers significant benefits to many communities. The riders of these bicycles are volunteers who serve their communities by using the bicycle ambulance to take people to healthcare facilities in medical emergencies. The bicycle ambulances are locally made, and the trailers are built by a small organisation that employs people with disabilities.
Transaid has been working with Zambia’s Ministry of Health and district health teams in 9 provinces and 21 districts since 2010 to empower and build lasting local skills and capacity. The charity trains community health workers to mobilise communities around a life-saving agenda. It supports communities to set up and manage their own systems to address physical, practical and financial barriers to accessing health services (e.g. food banks, emergency savings schemes and emergency transport systems) and works in partnership with provincial and national government to advocate for the timely procurement and supply of essential drugs and commodities.
Transaid has trained 9,800 Community Health Workers (CHWs), supported the establishment of 260 community-managed emergency transport systems (bicycle ambulances, ox and carts, boats etc) and trained 735 emergency transport riders to operate these. This year, they have added more bicycle ambulances and trained more riders due to the engagement of Hankook.
