NAME
Maryam Bello
TITLE
Co-Founder, Parker’s Mobile Clinic
LOCATION
Abuja, Nigeria
ABOUT
Maryam Bello is a passionate healthcare entrepreneur and co-founder of Parker’s Mobile Clinic. In 2020, Maryam launched the Parker’s Resilient Health project, targeting flood-prone regions in South-East Nigeria. The project deploys mobile health hubs and telemedicine services to deliver essential medical care directly to communities impacted by climate-induced disasters. Since its launch, the project has positively impacted over 100,000 lives across 10 communities, with a strong focus on providing healthcare;
MOTIVATION
“Parker’s Mobile Clinic was founded with the mission of making healthcare accessible, especially in underserved rural areas. Growing up in rural communities, both my co-founder and I witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of limited healthcare access. Too often, we saw friends and loved ones lost due to the lack of timely medical care.
In 2020, we began to see a critical intersection between climate change and healthcare, realizing the immense barrier that climate-related disasters, like flooding, pose for healthcare accessibility. This insight led to the launch of Parker’s Resilient Health project. Over the past five years, our healthcare initiative has directly confronted the heartbreaking impact of climate change on community well-being in Nigeria.
For instance, in October 2022, an eight-year-old boy named Izuchukwu tragically lost his life in southeastern Nigeria when flooding swept him into a gully, and his two-year-old sibling barely survived due to the delay in receiving medical help. This is just one example among the 2.3 million West African lives impacted, with countless others displaced or injured, often with no healthcare support. These stories drive us to keep building climate-resilient healthcare systems that bridge the gap for those most vulnerable.”
IMPACTS
Before
While challenges of course persist, before the launch of Parker’s Resilient Health project, communities in flood-prone regions of South-East Nigeria faced severe challenges:
After
Since the implementation of Parker’s Resilient Health project, significant improvements have been made:
CHALLENGES
Maryam has faced several challenges while leading Parker’s Resilient Health:
To overcome these challenges, Maryam relied on the support of mentors and her community, which helped her build confidence and develop solutions to bridge the digital gap. By using mobile clinics to deliver in-person healthcare, Parker’s Resilient Health reached the most remote and digitally inexperienced individuals.
GOALS
“Our vision for the future of Parker’s Resilient Health is to create a robust, climate-resilient healthcare network that can sustainably support underserved communities. In the next three years, our priorities will be expanding reach, building capacity, and strengthening our impact.
First, we aim to establish two additional mobile health hubs, allowing us to extend critical medical services to more communities in high-need regions. These hubs will enable us to quickly reach populations affected by climate-related challenges, like flooding, which severely disrupt healthcare access.
Workforce development is essential to our mission. We plan to recruit and train 100 more health workers, equipping them with expertise in climate-resilient practices and telemedicine. This approach will help us build a skilled team ready to deliver reliable, quality care in even the most challenging conditions.
Launching and upgrading our telemedicine platform in 10 high-need communities is a key priority. This digital platform will bridge the healthcare access gap by allowing people in remote areas to connect with medical professionals, ultimately improving health outcomes where traditional healthcare is often out of reach.
We are committed to evidence-based growth. Conducting comprehensive evaluations of service uptake and gathering user feedback will guide us in refining our telemedicine and community outreach programmes, ensuring our offerings remain aligned with the evolving needs of the communities we serve.
Strengthening partnerships is crucial for scaling our impact. We will consolidate our existing partnerships and seek new alliances with international health organizations to expand our resources, expertise, and reach.
As we achieve each milestone, we will develop a roadmap for the next phase of growth. This strategic planning will ensure that Parker’s Resilient Health can sustainably expand, continue enhancing healthcare delivery, and make a lasting difference in community health and resilience.”
MARYAM’S ADVICE
“Working in remote and vulnerable communities has taught me several key lessons that shape our approach to providing essential services.
First, accessibility goes beyond physical presence. It’s crucial to understand the local context, from geographic barriers to cultural nuances, to truly make services accessible. In our experience, collaborating with community leaders and involving residents in planning has been vital to creating solutions that are genuinely accessible and accepted by the community.
Second, resilience and flexibility are essential. In remote areas, especially those prone to climate challenges or lacking infrastructure, unexpected obstacles are common. We’ve learned to build resilience by training local staff, preparing for resource shortages, and developing flexible delivery methods, such as mobile clinics and telemedicine, to ensure continuity of services even during disruptions.
Third, listening to the community is non-negotiable. Community members understand their needs better than anyone else. Regular feedback and open communication allow us to adapt our services effectively. It’s about co-creating solutions rather than imposing a top-down approach.
Finally, partnerships are powerful. Collaborating with local organizations, governments, and international partners has amplified our reach and impact. Leveraging these partnerships has allowed us to pool resources, access specialized knowledge, and tackle challenges we couldn’t address alone.
These lessons have been instrumental in helping us provide sustainable and impactful services to communities that are often overlooked.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Parker’s Resilient Health is transforming healthcare delivery in flood-prone regions, using innovative mobile health hubs and telemedicine services. Here’s how you can support:
Your support will bridge healthcare gaps and build resilience for communities in need.
CONTACT MARYAM
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