Ford Partners Riders for Health to Improve Healthcare in Nigeria
Ford Motor Company has delivered two Ford Rangers to Riders for Health (Riders) in Nigeria as part of the motor company’s Project Better World, which provides support to grassroots efforts to drive sustainable community innovation around the globe. The Ford Rangers will be outfitted with Ford’s data-capturing OpenXC technology, a Ford Smart Mobility project, which collects vehicle performance, environment conditions, and location data that can be used to optimise delivery of healthcare services and supplies. Ford Project Better World brings together multiple organizations such as Riders in Nigeria, and social entrepreneurs to deliver health education, medication, nutrition and basic services to thousands of underserved people in remote areas. The services will be accessed using enhanced mobility and connectivity technologies from Ford vehicles. Riders is a non-profit organisation that seeks to make healthcare in rural African communities more accessible by providing motorcycles for medical practitioners to use for transport. For Riders, motorcycles allow for quicker and more affordable transportation to remote areas across hazardous terrain. The addition of two Rangers to the Riders’ fleet is invaluable to the programme’s operations in Nigeria as the new vehicles will also be used to deliver medical professionals and supplies in rural areas, as well as to support Riders’ fleet of motorcycles. “The Rangers guarantee extra capacity in mobility, allowing us more coverage,” says Ajayi Kayode, Country Director for Riders for Health Nigeria. “We are going to expand our patient monitoring and evaluation activities, saving a lot of money in the process that would otherwise go towards hiring a vehicle,” adds Kayode. “We also hope to generate additional income by leasing the vehicles to humanitarian agencies in between our own schedules.” The delivery of the Rangers supports a $75,000 investment from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company. These funds support Riders in Nigeria with the education and training of local mechanics to service the entire Riders fleet of vehicles, which include a wide range of motorcycles and cars. Riders works with the Nigerian Ministry of Health and other health-related partners to manage their healthcare vehicles, maintaining a total fleet of 370 Ford and other vehicles.