St John Ambulance Seeking Sh12 million to Train Bodaboda Operators

St John Ambulance is set to host a sh12 million fundraiser to train boda boda riders, matatu operators and residents of accident blackspot areas as road accident first responders.

More than 1,000 people have signed up for the inaugural walk at the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary next to Ngong Racecourse this Saturday 18^th June, 2022 from 7am to 12 noon.

The fundraiser has attracted over 40 schools and corporate partners, among them Safaricom, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and Insurance Regulatory Authority.

Proceeds of the fundraiser will this year be channelled to training of 2,000 Bodaboda Operators across the country in First Aid Skills and equip each one of the trained riders with a refillable first aid kit.

As much as many Kenyans who arrive at accident scenes are always willing to help rescue lives, very few of them have first aid skills and confidence to handle accident victims safely to avoid causing more injuries. Many victims of road accidents die due to poor handling by untrained first responders. For instance, a trapped victim may be bleeding profusely but untrained rescuers rush to pull out the victim without first trying to stop the bleeding, this results in death within a few minutes.

St John Ambulance, a charitable organization in Kenya, identified bodaboda riders as the best fit for this training. Based on regular data from emergency calls at the ambulance dispatch center, boda boda riders have been noted to be the first to arrive in almost all accident scenes as witnesses or as rescuers. The organization finds this a key resource to help in saving lives at a time when an ambulance has limited access the scene or takes time to arrive within the few minutes needed to save lives.

The event is open to the public and the media is invited to cover the walk and conduct interviews with participants, beneficiaries and partners present.