At Fleetware, we think it’s important to play our part in the global effort to increase equality and the quality of life for the millions of people who are much less fortunate than us. So, every month, we set aside a percentage of our subscription income to be donated to various causes.
We use an organisation called B1G1 which ensures that 100% of our giving goes towards the causes of our choice. This month, our focus was providing medical assistance for those who most need it.
So, in October we supplied:
- 16 days of high-quality training for nurses in the Congo
- 3 medical consultations for rainforest communities in Indonesia
- 10 doses of live-saving malaria medication for children in Kenya
Training nurses
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is only one doctor and five nurses for every 10,000 people, so a well-trained nurse can be the difference between life and death. However, with over 70% of the population living in extreme poverty, tertiary nursing education often becomes unattainable. This project aims to bridge this gap by providing students with scholarships to ISSI, one of the best nursing schools in the country.
Creating accessible education and increasing the number of competent nurses is not only beneficial for the local hospitals – it means that students with fewer opportunities have the chance to pursue their dreams and attain a professional career. Training nurses creates lifelong opportunities, especially for women – acting to increase gender equality whilst empowering them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
And importantly, it’s this training that saves approximately 100 lives each week in the Congo.
Healthcare in Rainforest Communities
In Indonesia, rainforest communities are often forced to log trees to pay for expensive medical bills that they otherwise could not afford. One man needed to cut down 60 trees to pay for a family member’s medical procedure! This project operates a medical centre that provides healthcare services at an affordable rate, even offering non-cash payment methods such as seedlings or organic manure to promote reforestation and sustainable farming practices.
The clinic provides a range of services that cover dental, vision, respiratory illness, maternity care, paediatrics and general disease treatment and management, such as for diabetes. The medical centre is run by Indonesian staff and the organisation’s ties to exchange programmes at Yale and Stanford help to build its number of physicians. In the first ten years of operation, there was a 90% decrease in households that relied on logging for income, and a 67% decrease in infant mortality, along with improvements in other key health indicators.
Life-saving malaria treatment
In rural Western Kenya, thousands of people suffer from malaria each year. Malaria can be fatal for vulnerable individuals, particularly children and the elderly, and it forces older children and adults to miss work or school. The effects of this disease spread much further than simply causing illness – it indirectly contributes to poor education levels and increasing financial difficulties for many families. This project provides immediate treatment for people suffering from malaria, and in 2020, it helped treat over 6,100 people.
We thank all our customers for your continuous support of Fleetware and our giving efforts. These initiatives are more than just numbers. They represent real change, providing nurses and medical care for those that need it most.
To keep up to date with our giving throughout the year, head to our About page.
