In Mozambique, getting medicines to provincial warehouses is only one step in the supply chain journey. From there, changemakers like Chaido Francisco Nomeado ensure those medicines get to remote health centers. Chaido is a dispatch clerk responsible for delivering medicines to six health centers in the hardest-to-reach district in Zambézia province, Chinde. His journey requires several days, a “change of wheels” for a six-hour sailboat ride across the Zambezi River and a lot of discomfort navigating rough roads and battling mosquitoes. But to him, being a dispatch clerk is not just a job, it is a mission.
“In the beginning you almost want to give up after your first distribution, but when you go there the second time and you feel the love health workers and people have for you, you don’t think on the difficulties anymore,” Chaido said. “You are only thinking how to save those people and that inspires you.”
VillageReach collaborated with Bolloré Transport and Logistics to outsource medical supply delivery directly to health facilities as part of the government’s commitment to improve transportation and logistics. Although Chaido’s trips can be long and challenging, the gratitude he receives from Chinde health workers and the community keep him coming back, ensuring everyone everywhere has access to life-saving medicines.
The Last Mile Supply Chain program is managed in partnership with the Government of Mozambique and Bolloré Transport and Logistics, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).