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International development organisation, Transaid, has received grant funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation for a 6-month project to strengthen access to essential health and road safety messaging at the Mombasa port enclave in Kenya, specifically focusing on commercial drivers.
The project will promote access and engagement with free and established health services where drivers already gather, with the aim of reducing perceived barriers to quality health services in local clinics. Key messaging around improved cargo and road safety, developed in partnership with transport industry leaders, will also be placed in local clinics.
Sam Clark, Head of Programmes for Transaid, says: “The amount of time drivers spend on the road limits their access to healthcare and up-to-date information such as road safety risks. Our goal with this project is to improve access to all of these without making big changes to their normal day-to-day activities.”
Transaid will be working in conjunction with North Star Alliance, operating out of its Jomvu Roadside Wellness Centre in Mombasa, which is strategically located along the Northern Corridor near the port enclave to target mobile populations, like long-distance drivers, at the start of their journey. It was constructed from converted shipping containers and provides primary healthcare services, including HIV prevention and infectious disease screening, from trained clinical teams.
Clark adds: “This project is about reducing risk and enhancing the safety of all road users. Professional drivers are critical to the distribution of goods, and it’s important they have access to the necessary services they need to stay healthy, plus information which will help them to operate safely in their roles.”
The World Health Organisation reported that 1.19 million road traffic fatalities occur annually (2023), with numbers continuing to rise in low and middle-income countries – placing a significant burden on health services which are already over-stretched.
Road traffic fatalities are now the leading cause of death for individuals aged 5-29 years in sub-Saharan Africa, frequently affecting the most economically active individuals, which in turn further exacerbates household poverty.
He concludes: “Ensuring that the health and safety needs of professional drivers and other road users are met should be a priority in reducing the loss of life on roads globally.”
Transaid delivered a similar programme in Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdown and border closures threatened critical supply chains. Key messaging was developed and dispersed, along with basic PPE, to more than 4,000 professional drivers from seven countries with the goal of keeping drivers safe while maintaining critical supply chains and the transport of essential goods. For more information visit www.transaid.org.
Header image courtesy of Transaid.