In today’s competitive landscape, some people, organizations, and companies stand out by serving the community or customer by going ‘Above and Beyond’ expectations. Here are two inspiring examples
In the rural Zimbabwean districts of Kariba and Hurungwe, community health workers known as “Vaccine Cyclists” are riding bicycles from home to home to deliver HPV vaccinations to girls.
66% of Zimbabwean women diagnosed with cervical cancer are expected to die from the disease – a rate far higher than in countries with stronger screening programs.
The bikes were provided by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. So far, the program has helped immunize more than 22,000 girls in Mashonaland West province. Among them are two orphaned girls in the care of Kurehwa Majaivhana, a 65-year-old grandmother in Hurungwe, whose son passed away and left the children with her.
The grandmother told Gavi, “I’m old, frail, and cannot make it to the hospital for HPV screening for these kids under my care. We don’t have the taxi fare for the taxi. When the cyclists reached my home and immunized the girls, I felt happy. VHWs are our guardian angels.”
Another outreach program across the African continent is reducing youth mortality. The malaria vaccine rollout in Africa has been genuinely incredible. In some regions where they’ve introduced the RTS,S vaccine, they’re seeing childhood malaria cases drop by up to 30-40%. For context, malaria kills a child every minute. This is saving thousands of kids who would have died five years ago.
This column aims to highlight inspiring stories about organizations and businesses, or the individuals within them, who go ‘Above and Beyond’, showcasing their commitment to excellence, community service, or customer satisfaction. Contact news@knoxtntoday.com with your stories.
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