Donating For A Good Cause: Riders For Health

The holiday season is a time for giving, and we all know there are a lot of ways we can volunteer our time or donate funds to help those in need or a worthy cause. There is one organization in particular that might be interesting to motorsports fans looking to give support to a program that not only helps others, but is a reflection of motorcycle, ATV and UTV enthusiasts' passion for anything with wheels and an engine. Plus where else can you choose to make a donation that will go towards something like purchasing a tool kit or a specialized transport backpack to protect blood and samples as they are courried via motorcycle from a remote village to a laboratory for testing.

Focused in Africa, Riders for Health is an international social enterprise which puts its efforts into an often overlooked dilemma- the maintenance of motorcycles, ambulances, and other four-wheeled vehicles that are utilized for delivering medical supplies and administrating health care in this region. Riders for Health covers seven countries across sub-Saharan Africa. It staff of more than 300 local employees maintains a fleet of 1,300 vehicles that include dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, and ambulances that are used to ensure health professionals have reliable and safe transportation to often rugged and remote areas. The organization also trains health care workers to drive safely in the difficult terrain, while also training them to carry out daily checks on their vehicles. Educating and training its associates on preventative maintenance demonstrates the benefits of cheaper costs associated to keeping a vehicle running efficiently over time rather than repairing it when it breaks down completely. Always putting those that need medical attention and health services first, the Rider for Health network of highly skilled technicians regularly travels to service vehicles in the communities in which health workers serve. This means they don't waste valuable time traveling to a garage when they could be with their patients.

As a social enterprise, Rider-for-Health charges its partners a not-for-profit fee to ensure the sustainability of its programs. And now after nearly 25 years of service since in Africa, Riders for Health's reliable transport fleets are now transforming access to health care for 14 million people. But like any socially conscious organization, there is still plenty more Rider for Health would like to do. A donation could help Riders for Health to get more health workers on the road in Africa, reaching remote rural communities with life-saving health care, and help show the world that motorcycles do save lives. Unique to Riders for Health and what's most appealing to motorsports enthusiasts is you can choose your donation amount which attributes to a specific purchase such as a day's worth of fuel, riding gear, or you can purchase a set of Christmas which in which 100% of the profits from the cards go to the Riders for Health program and you get a stack of cards to send out to friends and family. To donate visit http://www.riders.org/ and click on the donate button at the bottom of the page.