Tuesday, September 4, 2007

That man traveling to a village outside Katima, Namibia, is an HIV-positive home health care "buddy." A volunteer with the Mapilelo Project, which works to reduce HIV infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa, he used to walk five miles or more each way to reach a single patient. (The infection rate in this part of Namibia is 43 percent.)

But after receiving a new bike last month through the second annual BikeTown Africa, an international campaign to improve the home delivery of services combating AIDS in rural Africa, his travel time has dropped.

BikeTown Africa, which has also offered assistance to communities in Senegal, is organized by Bicycling magazine and Canada's Kona bicycle company. Kona donated 150 custom-designed bikes, allowing buddies to "double or triple the number of client visits per day," says Zengani Chirwa, Mapilelo's chief medical officer.

The Mapilelo Project, begun in 2003, has funding from drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One aspect of the program involves pairing buddies with up to three newly diagnosed people.

The volunteers provide social support and help make sure patients stick to their antiretroviral treatment, according to Bristol-Myers Squibb.

-- Kathleen Hom