BEN Namibia will build and deliver 30 solar-powered electric bike ambulances for villages in Namibia and Zambia to help thousands of rural women, men and children access healthcare in medical emergencies .
Namibian communities face enormous challenges in reaching health centres in emergencies, and lack of transport, contributes to many preventable deaths. Namibia's maternal mortality rate of 200 deaths per 100,000 live births is 20 times higher than that of the UK. The dire lack of transport to access healthcare is similarly urgent in many sub-Saharan African countries, and few affordable, sustainable solutions are currently being tested or implemented.
We will deliver a fleet of electrically-assisted bicycle ambulance trailers that are designed for the thick sand and thorns of Namibia. They will be charged by solar-powered recharging stations. Managed by local healthcare facilities, the ambulances will provide emergency health transport in areas that have never before had access, saving many lives in childbirth and treatment of illnesses such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. We have developed the technology and are ready to implement.
A fleet of bicycle ambulances distributed throughout Namibia and also to our Zambian partners will have a catchment area of thousands of people. Based on each ambulance providing just two transports per day for 300 days of the year, 18,000 people who would otherwise face serious complications, or even death, could be safely and comfortably taken to hospital to receive treatment.
