14 November 2023
North Star Alliance, a not-for-profit NGO was formed in 2006 to unite the transport sector in its response to the AIDS pandemic in southern Africa. North Star was formed to unite the transport sector in its response to the impact of AIDS on its workforce and bottom line. It was established by the express distribution company TNT and WFP, after the success of their health clinic, or Roadside Wellness Centre, which offered information and healthcare on the Mwanza border crossing in Malawi.
North Star Alliance is building networks of roadside health clinics at transport ‘hotspots’ in Africa so that long distance truck drivers and surrounding communities have sustainable access to basic health care.
Since 2009, North Star has five core partners—the International Transport Workers’ Federation, ORTEC, TNT, UNAIDS and the World Food Programme.
Where They Work
Southern Africa is where they launched their first Roadside Wellness Centre (RWC), and they therefore have more experience in this region than elsewhere. Their footprint and reputation are steadily growing and they currently have a total of six RWCs based across the countries of the
Their North Star Alliance brand is now known throughout the region and they are highly regarded within the international community for their work on health and safety issues for mobile populations. As result, they are currently looking to expand their services in DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in 2011.
Their southern Africa regional office is based in Durban, South Africa.
Eastern Africa
Their work in eastern Africa is relatively new compared with the Southern Africa regions. In 2009, they launched a total of six RWCs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In 2011 they plan to expand their services in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Their eastern Africa regional office is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Western Africa
They launched their initiatives in western Africa in 2010 and, from 2011, are planning to launch Roadside Wellness Centres (RWCs) in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. Our West African regional office is based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
