Spokes of Change

About Millennium Promise:

OUR MISSION: THE END OF EXTREME POVERTY

Millennium Promise is the leading international nonprofit organization solely committed to supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to end extreme poverty. Our flagship program, the Millennium Villages Project, empowers more than 500,000 people across 10 countries in rural sub-Saharan Africa to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. 

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

Millennium Promise uses practical, affordable, and integrated solutions to ensure that farmers can grow enough food, families can drink safe water, mothers and babies have access to essential medical services, and children can receive an education. 

About Spokes of Change:

SPOKES OF CHANGE: IF WE MOVE FASTER, WE WIN.

Spokes of Change is a new initiative between Millennium Promise and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge that raises awareness of the critical role that Community Health Workers can play in saving the lives of young mothers and children in Africa. By providing health workers with essential medicines, bicycles, supplies, and training, we are helping move toward an end to extreme poverty.  And if we move faster, we win. 

The Problem is Mostly Preventable

Each year, nearly 8 million children under age 5 die of entirely preventable causes like malaria, pneumonia, malnutrition, and diarrhea. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, many people do not have access to a formal healthcare system – doctors and clinics are often too far to reach on foot.

The Solution: Bring the Clinic to the People

Community Health Workers are bringing the clinic to the people, to deliver safe, low-cost, life-saving medicines and treatments to remote villages that lack access to proper health clinics or hospitals.

1 Community Health Worker = 500 New People with Health Care

Community Health Workers are trained to deliver life-saving medical care to young children and mothers, including vaccinations and immunizations, monitoring for malnutrition, and providing pre- and post-natal care.  Spokes of Change will provide bicycles, equipment, training, medical supplies, and more to help individual Community Health Worker provide medical care to more than 500 individuals in rural Africa.

How we move faster:

• Spokes of Change provides training and supplies, including essential medicines and vaccines, so CHWs can treat disease and illness– faster. 
• Spokes of Change equips CHWs with cell phones and other necessary equipment so they can communicate and track their patients – faster.
• Spokes of Change provides Community Health Workers with bicycles so they can reach the homes of children and young mothers – up to four times faster. 
• Spokes of Change educates the world so that CHWs can succeed – faster.
• With your support, we can end extreme poverty – faster.

What we win:

• Healthy moms and thriving kids
• Productive communities
• The end of extreme poverty in Africa

All proceeds raised through the Spokes of Change campaign will help Millennium Promise’s save lives and win the race to end extreme poverty.

How You Can Help:

Spokes of Change, a campaign initiative of Millennium Promise, is proud to support the efforts of Community Health Workers to deliver vital medical services to young children and mothers throughout Africa.  Each CHW covers a territory of more than 100 households, or more than 500 individuals. 

Your Small investment Can Reap Huge Rewards:

Community Health Workers are only as good as their training and supplies.  Please donate today to help CHWs save thousands of lives, every day.  When compared to how much we spend on our own gear, the costs to outfit a CHW are surprisingly low.  Consider the power that each of these every-day cycling supplies carries:

• $3 can buy 1 espresso OR cover the cost of a CHW tire repair kit
• $8 can buy 1 CO² cartridge OR 1 CHW backpack that carries essential medicines and vaccines
• $24 can buy 1 box of energy gels, OR can cover the cost of one month’s medical supplies
• $40 can buy 1 new rubber tire OR three months of training for a CHW
• $75 can buy 1 bike tune-up OR cover a month’s salary for 1 CHW
• $150 can buy a new saddle OR 1 cell phone and related fees for a CHW for one year
• $300 can buy 1 GPS-enabled cycling computer OR can cover 1 year’s supply of anti-malaria medication
• $1200 can buy 1 entry-level road bike OR pay for the salary and supplies for 1 CHW for a full year

Figures listed above are representative of average costs associated with empowering Community Health Workers to do their life-saving work in the Millennium Villages Project.  All proceeds from Spokes of Change will support Millennium Promise’s CHW program in sub-Saharan Africa.