25th October, 2011
The only other time he was in Africa was 20 years ago. Then, the middle aged man visited Morocco and Egypt just to have fun. Today however, he has decided to turn the tables just a little bit. The diabetic man is braving the scorching sun as he cycles his way round the rough terrain of Kenya to raise money for a worthy cause; AMREF’s Maternal and Child health programmes.
Meet Gerard Van Buuren from Holland who despite his age and health, is ready to brave a 360 km long track on a bicycle as he gears towards improving the health of African mothers and children. The 47 year-old raised the cycling group’s highest amount of 8,500 Euros towards AMREF’s work in maternal health.
While 99 per cent of Kenyan women attend ante-natal clinics at least once in their life, only 46 per cent of deliveries in the country are carried out by skilled attendants. Maternal mortality currently stands at 578 per 100,000 live births, while infant mortality stands at 32 per 1,000 live births. Under five mortality stands at 54 per 1,000 live births.
These statistics paint a grim picture of access to maternal health care, where the situation for women from impoverished backgrounds is even more serious. But the country hopes to reverse this. To attain MDGs 4 and 5, Kenya aims to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health by 75 per cent by 2015.
This is why sponsors such as Gerard are important to AMREF, as AMREF is working hand in hand with the government to curb maternal deaths.
“I was motivated to come because firstly, being a diabetic, I needed to improve my health. I found it a good combination to fundraise for an international health organisation like AMREF, whose health agenda is known worldwide, while working on my own health. Plus I wanted to see Africa again, experience the culture and see the wildlife,” says the 47-year-old father of three.
AMREF in Kenya’s Country Director, Dr Lennie Bazira Kyomuhangi sees the cycling event as a good opportunity to create awareness about AMREF’s maternal and child health programmes on the ground.
“With the money raised through this effort, we hope to mobilise the community and especially women to attend antenatal clinics. We also hope to save more pregnant mothers and children under five,” she said during the flag off event on Sunday.
Gerard’s home country of the Netherlands supports the AMREF Community Based Health Management Information System (CBHMIS) project running in Kibwezi, in which AMREF trained community health workers collect data on maternal and child health that is then used by the government to inform policy and improve primary health care services.
As he bikes his way through the dusty path in temperatures above 30 degrees, Gerard is a satisfied man. He has not only managed to work on his health in a span of a few months, but he has seen his dream of raising more money come true.
“I find this trip very interesting. We all wondered whether Kenyans knew of our coming. But we found very warm people on the track. Of course there are those people who were looking at us thinking we are crazy to bike race in the hot sun,” says Gerard with a chuckle.
" Gerard is among 99 cyclists from the Netherlands, taking part in an 8-day cycling event, which started on Sunday, October 23, at Kibwezi. The bikers have managed to raise over €600, 000 to take part in the event dubbed the Kenya Classic Tour.
“I heard about the event in December from a friend. I thought it was going to be a big challenge, taking my condition. But I thought I should join up. My family thought I was mad,” Gerard relates.
But to castigate any doubts as to his ability in taking part in the event, he carried out research and the feedback was encouraging.
“I found I could do it. Plus I have a sensor on my arm that measures my blood sugar level. If it gets too low, it raises an alarm,” says Gerard, a programme manager for the Dutch police.
In March this year he started training to improve his stamina and so far the results have been encouraging. “I started off by mountain biking for 40-60km every day. By the time I came here, I could do 200km,” he says.
As he continues with next leg of cycling, the man whose greatest sponsorship came from his health care provider, CZ Holland, is upbeat that he is able to put a smile on many a suffering child’s face.
“It would be nice to see the money used to provide better health care and clean water for people here (Kenya). In Holland, we have very good health care and I feel motivated to do something to help out,” says the man who rides mostly for fun.
Though he is not sure he will do the bike race next year, he is enthusiastic about such projects where he can tour as he supports a noble cause. “A week ago, my friends were thinking about touring Mt Kilimanjaro and I informed them maybe it is a better idea to climb as we fundraise for a worthy cause,” he says.
