The demand for bicycles among healthcare workers continues to grow especially in the middle of the current pandemic. Our partners from the Philippines to Madagascar to Sierra Leone are working to ensure front line workers in the medical field have the bikes they need to get to work and complete home visits.
This team of doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone received bikes earlier this year through our partner Village Bicycle Project (VBP). In an informal survey conducted by VBP staff, over 60% of health workers said they would invest in a bicycle to aid their work. Riding a bike also allows them to save up to 25% of their income which they previously spent on transportation fees to and from the hospital. An average healthcare worker in Sierra Leone makes about $100 per month and the money they save by using a bike is substantial.
Currently many areas of Africa are undervaccinated not only because of limited access to vaccines but also due to vaccine skepticism, a challenge many volunteer health workers are working to overcome. The less vaccinated a nation, the more coronavirus will continue to spread and mutate. In more remote areas of Africa this is an even greater concern due to limited treatments and facilities available.