In rural areas of western Kenya, a team of skilled motorcyclists is helping pregnant women get to clinics and hospitals faster. They are part of the ‘’Boda Girls’’.
The initiative aims to overcome one of the major obstacles in the field of maternal care: transport reliability. Many of these drivers, wearing pink coats, are nurses or community health workers.
‘’ There is a transport gap and, as we all know, access to transport is one of the most neglected aspects of women's health and economic empowerment, especially in rural areas where distance and cost are barriers to accessing healthcare.’’, said Nancy Akeyo, CEO of Boda Girls Kenya.
Their mission: to ensure that pregnant women from peripheral areas can go to hospitals free of charge for various consultations. Many patients find it safer to be carried by a woman.
‘’I prefer to be driven to the hospital by a woman, because my family and I feel more comfortable and confident with a female driver than with a man on a motorcycle.’’, explains Maureen Achieng, Kenyan.
Many women struggle to pay for public transportation or simply have no way to get to the hospital on time.
