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(332 words)
Aruna's Bike- From Ebola to Coronavirus
Aruna is a Community Health Nurse who uses his bike to deliver covid vaccines to communities surrounding the hospital where he works. He recently received his bike through our partner Village Bicycle Project, but he realized the power of a bicycle when he became a nurse seven years ago.
Aruna graduated from nursing school in 2014 and started working at the hospital during the largest Ebola outbreak in history. As a new nurse, his involvement in the unfolding epidemic quickly reinforced how a bike could help save his life and protect his family.Aruna recalls this time as the worst experience in his life. He had just become a nurse and he saw dozens of Ebola cases and deaths every single day in the hospital. He recognized the danger he faced at work and during his commute, knowing how quickly the deadly virus could spread.
At the time, his older brother had a mountain bike that the two of them would use to ride to work. He remembers how funny they must have looked riding together on the same bicycle as adults. But, they were also very aware of the dangers of using public transportation while Ebola was widely spreading within the community.
When Village Bicycle Project brought bicycles to his community back in 2019, Aruna wasted no time lining up to get one for himself. By then the first coronavirus cases had been identified and the uncertainty of the virus and how it spread threatened to become a global health crisis, something Aruna had experienced in 2014.
At the time, his older brother had a mountain bike that the two of them would use to ride to work. He remembers how funny they must have looked riding together on the same bicycle as adults. But, they were also very aware of the dangers of using public transportation while Ebola was widely spreading within the community.
When Village Bicycle Project brought bicycles to his community back in 2019, Aruna wasted no time lining up to get one for himself. By then the first coronavirus cases had been identified and the uncertainty of the virus and how it spread threatened to become a global health crisis, something Aruna had experienced in 2014.
The brothers now each have their own bike giving Aruna the flexibility to use his for work. For the past two years, Aruna has been using his bicycle to see patients across the Lunsar and Port Loko districts in Sierra Leone. He is now able to see more patients in less time. He is also able to save money and keep himself and his family safe by traveling alone on his bike.
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