Riders for health: African Motorcycle
Solidarity with the Third World poses a risk: that its practical application in the field of adventurers trick is to escape the demands of work and social First. In Africa, Official solidarity white donors tend to travel in Toyota Land Cruiser. And, Small, eg, one of the poorest countries, NGOs spring up like mushrooms. At the entrance of each village are read cartels that advertise the virtues of this or that organization. On the outskirts of Bamako meeting a notice of a development project of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as if Chavez did not have its own needy from those who deal.
Much of western money stays in the pockets of African oligarchies. In many of these impoverished countries, medicines and medical materials donated by governments and nonprofit entities must meet import taxes as if they were luxury items. After plundering bureaucracy, other share of the funds is for salaries and logistical costs, mostly foreign staff. Cooperating professionals, whether European, Japanese and American, tend to charge expatriate salaries and are housed in the best hotels.
In Africa, Official solidarity white donors tend to travel in Toyota Land Cruiser.
The qualified foreign workers is very expensive in Africa. Especially if it's true professionals with a real commitment to stay. The well-intentioned and generous volunteers who go to work for free et amore often lack adequate preparation for the work that really needed. And while some men, as with cataract surgery ophthalmologists to Africans during their vacation, stay on the ground is too short to reach their altruistic effort to transform reality.
RIDERS FOR HEALTH
En la British NGO Riders for Health, (www.riders.org), Founded by former motorcycle racer Randy Mamola, white adventurers have no room for that as customers of some of the motorcycle trips through Africa to organize from time to time to raise funds. And the bikes are the very essence of Riders for Health. They originated, its reason for existence and its mode of operation. For they are not toys but tools to bring assistance to where others can not, and doing so as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Transport is the great unfinished business of solidarity. Of no use to discover a vaccine against AIDS if we do not reach those in need. Most of Africa's population lives in isolated rural communities. Between them and the distribution centers, there are hundreds or thousands of miles of desert, jungle, mountain scrub forest. During the rainy season, unpaved tracks become muddy that neither able to overcome 4X4. The light enduro bikes can do this job better than any other vehicle and also for less money.
The equation is simple. With the cost of a great road car, you can buy ten small Honda 200 cubic centimeters of very simple maintenance. Riders for Health works in that line so needy countries such as Gambia, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania o Zimbabwe.
LESOTHO
Lesotho, independent nation since 1968, is located within the territory of the great Republic of South Africa. Known as the Roof of Africa on their mountainous terrain, most of the population living in inaccessible communities actually. Riders for Health have here a project with more than two hundred bikes. So far it has funded the Elton John Foundation, but they say that money will end soon and do not know whether to continue.
The Ministry of Health has an office Maseru Mahali Hlas, National Responsible Riders. She herself was once driving. They prefer to hire women as pilots because they have very few accidents. Bikes do not use the improper purposes, not displayed and lead to much more cautious. A rugged bike supposed to work left to be done and we must add one more expense, the repair.
The drivers travel in groups of three. Never go alone. These pilots have access to the most remote villages and most remote villages with a shipment of medicines, and information on AIDS vaccines, Sexuality and Health. As reiterated time and again, education is an essential part of their work. Advise mothers, the village chiefs and lower health care. They also collect data to use in the development of health policies.
Indigenous women is often the best solution to the serious problems facing the continent.
Once implemented, Motorists are revealed as great. Show great courage and extraordinary skill. But no display, only effective. This is also a team. They lead, Riders for Health provides bikes, is responsible for its maintenance and driver training, while the Ministry of Health set guidelines and general lines of action, but mostly supported his performance and gives them official authority to conduct inspections in shops and health centers.
In Africa, indigenous women is often the best solution to the serious problems facing the continent. While not a few men are given to indolence and dipsomania, African women are working, sensible and thrifty. They are the ones who care for families that include very broad ascending, descendants and collateral. They are the ones that really make it work communities. It is they who always manage to capitalize on microcredit. Now they are the ones who fly these motorcycles that have come to brighten the future of their land punished.
Comments (10)
Javier Brandoli
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I can not agree more with what you explain Miquel. At a dinner in Uganda with the Head of EU Cooperation discuss this issue and explained that the model of aid is reviewed each year (does not stop working either came to explain). What matters is certainly not little guys have espeicalizados, that with good intention and travelers want to be cooperating for a month, staying in hotels and doing the job that could make an African. Not just the money lost in wages, is that when removed the projects fall into disrepair because the local population does not feel responsible for them. Great and real history.
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Ricardo
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We fully endorse, Miquel. Congratulations on the courage and clarity in the exposition. Not to mention the refugee camps, upon completion of strictly humanitarian work, become a business (including sheltering murderers who acted as authentic mafias within fields, as happened in Goma following the massacres of Tutsis in Rwanda, although that is not spoken). I have been distributing sacks and sacks of grain in the Ethiopian highlands months after the end of the famine as the grain prices plummeted because the population had it free with just reach out. What happens is you say these things is very unpopular and many bars shakes organized around misery
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home
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I like the vision of African women…
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Javier Reverte trips online
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[…] take medicine to villages, shots and information on AIDS and other diseases. Read it https://www.viajesalpasado.com/riders…n-motorcycle / […]
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Jesusa
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In defense of cooperating and
I do not really agree with the picture given in the article of the cooperation and aid workers. The first part of the article, general, I think he has enough free assumptions.
To begin, Toyota Land Cruiser is not exactly the most widely used mode of transport for aid workers. Most media used much more unobtrusive (including motorcycles and bicycles). The Land Cruiser usually belong to the senior management of some international agencies and some NGOs with a lot of money-some, the eye patch, local).
One, there is money that stays in the African oligarchies, but most comes from the direct cooperation, not the projects that are running the NGOs that usually have a pretty tight budget.
Donors are often highly qualified and vocational, remain a long time in the field rather than stay in hotels, they rented a house as anybody else (Is that because they are not cooperating should be entitled to housing?). Of course, drawing a salary as stipulated in the Statute of Cooperating- commensurate with their qualifications and work, neither more nor less. I do not understand very well that is meant by "salary expat". There is a special salary as you seem to imply in the article. They are professionals who have prepared for that, do work, and are paid what they were going to live unless? No NGO that claims-made voluntary cooperation with professionals who will except for specific activities in which they are experts- because it would be des-cooperation. Addition, criticism is a contradiction: Is it wrong to volunteer and it is also wrong to be professional and get paid???
On the other hand, any "worthy" NGO (insist) long ceased to make donations of medicines or equipment because most of what is donated, the "donations" usually consist of giving what we do not want these "poor" than have nothing sure it suits them- I'm good for nothing in the, worse, is unfair competition for local businesses as the standard, long, any "worthy" NGO (and, I stress again, PURCHASED, if the owner).
Before slandering cooperation in general, must be informed, well. There are many people who are doing a great job and with far fewer resources which here implies. I'm not saying that everything is perfect and I am the first that could put many examples of bad practice, but also lots of good so it does not seem fair to target everyone with the same brush.
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Dom26
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Jesusa has a point, any generalization is unfair, but the item is documented and there are those bad practice. Rather than disagree on what is the actual extent of this evil, Why not put us to work to eradicate? I think it would be more productive. Meanwhile, shop around for any African country is enough to see rusted and abandoned major projects for the local population
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Miquel Silvestre
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Jesusa, do not quite understand the reason for your anger. I am not criticizing donors or volunteers, acknowledge in the article are generous and altruistic, I'm saying is that you recognize yourself in a reply: professional aid workers paid a salary commensurate with their qualifications and status of cooperating. So, European salary. any "worthy" NGO 4 local professionals.
Do you charge a salary commensurate with your qualification is bad? Not, at all. Would it be more efficient to pay 4 local professionals with the same money? In my opinion, yes. African graduates are as competent as they may be Westerners. Are they needed all those scattered organizciones and aid Africa? The gratuitous assumption of him that has come from top to bottom and from east to west, is not. Most about. What Africans need are not NGOs, but credible institutions, legal certainty and less corruption.
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Miquel Silvestre
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If anyone would like to see his work live. And by the way see how beautiful and how health Lesotho Africans are as competent as Western, though perhaps a bit less careful. Let, that in Africa there is pampering.
http://www.exploramoto.com/index.php?news=2345
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Dehriःun
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Reaches this blog by chance, good video, however, any "worthy" NGO, typical old terminology cooperation and colonialism of the West.
I wonder if the exercise of this character is not the same as trying to criticize blog
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