Riders for Health triumphs at Third Sector awards

Riders for Health, the official charity of MotoGP, has won first place in the social enterprise category at the UK’s 2009 Third Sector Excellence Awards.

’Riders’ has 20 years of experience working with ministries of health in Africa, battling to put systems of maintenance, logistics and training in place to make sure health care can be delivered successfully even in rural communities. Despite the obvious need for reliable transport, this is an issue that is routinely ignored by the international development community.

Organised by Third Sector magazine in the United Kingdom, the awards aim to reward examples of outstanding campaigns, strategies, projects and performance, which are backed up by hard evidence of success.

The award came in recognition of Riders for Health’s innovative vehicle leasing programme, launched in February 2009 in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, the Gambian Department of State for Health and GT Bank.

This unique programme means that the Gambia will be the first country in Africa to be equipped with complete transportation coverage for its health service. It will therefore also be the first country to show the impact on the health of a nation when health resources reach the population reliably and over time.

Riders’ fundraising and communications manager, Rachel Harrington, accepted the award, saying afterwards, “It is a real honour for Riders for Health to have won the social enterprise category in the Third Sector Excellence Awards. We are particularly delighted that the award recognises the vital role of reliable transport in delivering health care to the people who need it most. Thanks to the hard work, determination and innovation of Riders’ logistics experts in the Gambia – and the courage and vision of our partners – this will be the first country in Africa to have complete transportation coverage for its health service. I have seen firsthand what difference this programme will make to families in rural Gambia, and we are delighted that the judging panel felt this initiative was a deserving winner.”

Riders for Health also has programmes in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Lesotho, Kenya and Tanzania and ensures that over 10 million people are reached with reliable health care.

Press Release from Riders for Health