HRH The Princess Royal, patron of international development organisation Transaid, has paid tribute to the road transport and logistics industry for helping to develop a sustainable model for road safety which is saving lives across sub-Saharan Africa.HRH The Princess Royal, patron of international development organisation Transaid, has paid tribute to the road transport and logistics industry for helping to develop a sustainable model for road safety which is saving lives across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Princess Royal was speaking at Transaid’s annual showcase event in London, held at law firm Eversheds Sutherland on 9 October 2017. The event was focused around the launch of a new Professional Driver Training project in Uganda (PDTU) – Transaid’s largest independently funded road safety initiative to-date.
Addressing more than 100 supporters, The Princess Royal said: “The number of people dying on the road each year in sub-Saharan Africa is third only to deaths from malaria and HIV/AIDS.
“We have the ability to reduce that figure through road safety projects, but there simply aren’t that many organisations attempting to do so in the way that Transaid can. The extraordinary support the transport and logistics industry has shown to Transaid, and the way the organisation works, demonstrates the huge value of professional driver training.”
Commenting on the outstanding results Transaid is delivering, she added: “It’s hugely satisfying to identify curricula have been developed and where legislation is being changed to improve road safety, because this demonstrates that Transaid’s projects are sustainable.”
Ruth Nsubuga, Project Coordinator at Ugandan implementing partner Safe Way Right Way, spoke about the ambitious plans for the PDTU project, which has already trained 10 driver trainers.
Addressing supporters, she said: “The response has been outstanding so far. We’ve already had more than 2,000 people register an interest in being trained as a professional driver and we plan to start training our first drivers from November. Our vision with Transaid is to develop enough training resource to satisfy future demand for skilled drivers in the years to come.”
The showcase also provided an opportunity to congratulate the team of 58 cyclists who took part in the 240-mile London to Paris cycle ride in September, raising more than £100,000 for Transaid.
Alan Thornton, Commercial Director of WH Malcolm, reflected on his experience of the ride and appealed to industry colleagues to take part in future fundraising challenges. He said: “Participating gives an enormous amount of satisfaction. There was such a strong camaraderie amongst the group, which made it even more worthwhile.”
Alongside the celebration of Transaid’s achievements, The Princess Royal presented a farewell gift to outgoing Transaid trustee and Vice President of Solving Efeso, Alan Waller, who has spent 11 years on the board of trustees.
The Princess Royal also received a cheque from Volvo Trucks UK for £67,080 – the largest single donation received by Transaid in a decade. For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.