International development organisation, Transaid, has been successful in securing 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 and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
About Lloyd’s Register Foundation
Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity that supports research, innovation, and education to make the world a safer place. Its mission is to use the best evidence and insight to help the global community focus on tackling the world’s most pressing safety and risk challenges. Their small grants program grants up to £10,000 for organizations to initiate or build partnerships and test out ideas through pilot studies projects and activities in the Foundation’s strategic priority areas. For more information, please visit www.lrfoundation.org.uk
For further press information:
Maddy Matheson at Transaid: +44 (0)20 7387 8136 / maddy@transaid.org
Natalie Ganshert or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR: +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to natalie.ganshert@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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