Riders for Health's appeal raises £634,770

Riders for Health have had a massive success with their summer appeal, raising £317,385 to improve health care access in Africa. Under the British government’s Aid match program, this will be doubled to a whopping £634,770.

Most of the money was raised from UK bikers, especially through Riders for Health’s extremely successful partnerships with MotoGP and MCN, helping to promote the charity to a huge audience.

The money will be used to fund and maintain a fleet of motorcycles that allow doctors to travel to the people who need them, bringing medical treatement to remote communities.

Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development said ‘By matching pound for pound all public donations, UK taxpayers through DFID have helped Riders for Health double its fundraising total and increase its impact in providing isolated rural communities in Africa with crucial health services. 

Riders for Health ensures that front line health workers in Africa can reach people in often remote and otherwise inaccessible areas who would otherwise not be able to access healthcare. When equipped with a properly used and maintained motorcycle, a health worker can reach more than five times as many people and provide them with essential medicines and vaccines.’

Andrea Coleman, CEO of Riders for Health said: ‘I would like to thank everyone who has made this appeal such a huge success; those who raised funds, made donations and, of course, all our volunteers and partners. It has been a tremendous, collaborative event.

The Department for International Development recognised in Riders an organisation that has created a solution for one of the most neglected but vital aspects of development – reliable transport for delivering health care in rural Africa. We are grateful for this recognition.

Transport to reach the poorest in Africa is so often overlooked, but the money raised in this appeal means that we can ensure that even health workers in Africa will now have reliable transport to reach everyone in every community with the health care they so desperately need.’