Friday, April 17, 2015
Lessons from a Social Entrepreneur
Session Description
Managing and maintaining vehicles that deliver goods and services to transform health care for people living remotely in Africa continues to be a huge barrier in lifting people out of poverty. In the early stages of development, Riders for Health had to find a way of working in areas of market failure, using business principles while lacking support, legitimacy, guidance and specific investment. This conversation will explore how to transform an ambitious idea into a social enterprise operating at the forefront of the sector.
When | Where
11:45 - 13:00
Friday, April 17
SBS, Seminar 1
Session leaders
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Founder, Riders for Health International
I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother. I had little schooling as I didn't see the value in it. I preferred to be earning money doing jobs like window cleaning, newspaper delivery and even working in a circus. I love motorcycles and motorcycle racing. Injustice makes me angry,
I co-founded Riders for Health with my husband, Barry Coleman. I learned to do fundraising and promotion and building an organisation while Barry worked in Africa to prove our vision that managed transportation - motorcycles and ambulances - and contributing to health systems from a very pragmatic and practical level - is the key to allowing rural communities in Africa access to health care.
Disaster struck Riders for Health at the end of 2015 and the Riders UK sank. I founded Two Wheels for Life to continue providing support for Riders for Health International - which reaches 24 million people and runs 2500 vehicles in seven African countries.
The support we provide is financancial, mentoring, facilitation and capacity building.
True development cannot happen if the culture, the systems and processes are not owned and run by Africans and we give all the support we can to enable Riders for Health International to develop deep roots in the continent for which our innovation was designed and which remains so neglected despite the fact that predictable mobility for goods and services for health care is critical.
