BIFAlink


Maimuna, whose mum Amina Abdullah Asiz faced more than medical problems on the road to Obi General Hospital, Nigeria.


Charity


www.bifa.org


Transport and logistics charity deserves our continued support


Time to reflect on those to whom disease is an ever present enemy


Times like these will write an indelible chapter in the book of life of anyone who lives through them. Sometimes it is natural to think only of


one’s own immediate circumstances, facing up to new challenges, worrying about one’s own, and one’s family’s future. It does some good, however, to put this into


perspective on occasion and realise fighting nature’s demons is something others face up to every single day.


Unprecedented challenges As we all peer in to an uncertain future, Caroline Barber, chief executive of transport charity Transaid, has spoken of the difficulties of facing up to the unprecedented challenges in the wake of Covid-19. Like many organisations, Transaid has been adapting and finding new ways of working. As borders started to close and the rate of infection spread, Transaid worked to ensure its people (staff, consultants and volunteers)


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travelled safely back to their home countries. These then are the people who fight this fight


every day of their working lives, facing down a range of logistical problems and medical conundrums. As Caroline Barber says, it is times like these that remind us just how vital the transport and logistics industry is to the running of our daily lives. And that is why the team at Transaid is still hard at work, albeit in their own homes in the case of the UK-based team, to continue to solve transport challenges in rural African communities. This is not a retreat, this is just an unwanted


delay to the work which, with the wholehearted support of the logistics community, has seen success in several fields such as: providing bicycle ambulances to enable pregnant mothers in remote areas to reach hospital in time to ensure the health of the unborn; training commercial vehicle drivers in regions where the death toll on the roads makes Western motorists shudder; and, certainly not least, winning the battle against the hateful malaria, unlike Covid-


19, a killer that in particular targets the youngest. If you are currently sitting at home reading


this, take a look at the stories of four special women, or of Arshal who rode his bicycle ambulance 40 km to save the life of his own son, or even Amina, whose own lifesaving journey to hospital was interrupted by highway robbers who, realising the importance of the journey, drew back and let her driver pass freely – an act that undoubtedly saved her life.


Rebuilding the future So when this all passes and we crawl from our caves to rebuild the future, let us hope we do not forget those who devote their lives in the service of strangers in lands far away. Those such as Transaid will always, hopefully, be there and those of us that remain should remember these dark times and consider lending a hand in the fight. Send some cash, volunteer for a cycle


challenge when they get back on track, or sign your company up as a corporate supporter. You will be the lucky ones.


This article originally appeared on handyshippingguide.com and is reproduced with permission. See transaid.org for further information.


May 2020


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