Dirk Bachmann - UNICEF goodwill ambassador seeing world by motorbike
Dirk Bachmann has a rather unusual way of spending his time - riding around the world on his motorbike raising awareness of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Several years ago, Dirk emigrated from his native Germany to New Zealand, where he works as a language teacher. But his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF - and in particular the campaign to eradicate polio - has taken him around the globe. He recently made a brief pit stop in the Czech Republic, and had time to drop into Radio Prague.
Dirk, goodwill ambassadors are usually famous celebrities - how did a Kiwi English teacher like yourself get the job?
"That's right, I'm not famous at all! I've given several hundred interviews, but nothing compared to Harry Belefonte or Sir Peter Ustinov or Roger Moore - all those beautiful, rich and famous people. It might be just a New Zealand thing. New Zealand is a special country I think. It doesn't really matter that much if you're famous or not: you're just one person, and if you do the right thing then people applaud it and they think it's a good thing. Maybe that's why [me and my two colleagues] have become goodwill ambassadors."
Tell me about being a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF? What does that involve?
"Basically you represent UNICEF. You try to help out wherever you can, whenever you can, in whichever country. Personally I'm in charge of a polio campaign. Currently I'm living in Germany, and I've organised some campaigns for children in Iraq - not necessarily against polio, but just to help them. Basically you represent the organisation, you give media interviews, you try to attract people's attention - using the help of the media - so that they listen and maybe do something UNICEF wants them to do, like an immunisation programme."
And what specifically brings you to Prague?
"Well as I mentioned before, I'm living in Germany, near Nuremberg in Bavaria, after five years in New Zealand and a year travelling, so this is really a holiday. But whenever I'm on holiday I try to do something for UNICEF as well. I do it in my free time. To be honest I've only been here once before, so this trip was long overdue."
Does UNICEF actually operate in the Czech Republic itself?
"There is a UNICEF office here - the national committee. I visited them, and they're really nice people I must say. You don't have a polio problem here - the last case of polio in the Czech Republic was back in the 50s, and I really congratulate you on this. You've got 100 percent coverage. However, I think the Czech people need to keep immunising, not only against polio but in general. And the Czech branch of UNICEF is also part of a programme adopted by the Italian committee - it's called 'Adopt a Doll, Save a Child'. So far there are more than 250 schools here in the Czech Republic [taking part in the programme], and the schoolchildren there are producing the dolls, and then they're going to be sold for - I think - 600 crowns, and that money will be used to immunise children. So that's what you guys are doing here in the Czech Republic, and this is really nice."
600 crowns - that's about 20 dollars. How many children will that immunise?
"Well, it depends on the country obviously. It takes about five dollars to immunise a child, and that involves tetanus, diphtheria, polio etc, so you can basically save four children. The nice thing about it is that children help children. They do this, in their free time, and then somebody else buys this doll, so there are at least two people who feel really good about doing something good for others."
You arrived here today on your motorbike - I can see the motorbike helmet here - in your work with UNICEF you travel around the world on your bike. Can you tell me what kind of reception you get when you draw in to a Nepalese village on your bike?
"Well, actually the welcome is really warm, especially in the poorer countries. I started my trip back in February 2001 in southern Chile, and then travelled all through Latin America and the States, that took me about a year. I've got two mates - Jürgen Homann, who's a German leaving in New Zealand, and a Catalan, Mario Negre - and Mario went to Angola after that. Jürgen went to Asia and travelled overland from there to Europe, and also did some immunisation in those Nepalese villages, in Thailand, in Cambodia and so on. And we just met back here in Europe. So we've covered all the continents, we're still not tired of travelling. But basically all three of us are back at work now, because we're self-funded: we need to earn some money."
How willing are the various governments to address the problem of diseases such as polio?
"Generally speaking, they're quite willing to do that. Most of the money is raised by Rotary. It's a campaign which started in 1998. Rotary, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF are running it, plus some others, but these are the most important ones. So the governments in Third World countries usually get the vaccinations for free. The organisation is done with the help of those governments: they have national immunisation days and things like that. They see that they cannot only save their children or their population, but also save a lot of money. I mean, the costs of treating people for polio are so high. You need prosthesis, medicines. Sometimes polio is fatal, and even if it isn't you often experience breathing problems and would need a so-called iron lung. So all in all [immunisation] is very good thing. To give you one example, back in 1998, the Indian government - with the help of those organisations mentioned and thousands of volunteers - they managed to immunise 158 million children in one single day. That is amazing."
That is truly incredible. You mentioned certain practical problems there, are there are also cultural problems to overcome in some of these countries when dealing with immunisation programmes?
"Definitely. What occurs to me right now is going to some Arab countries, when you want to immunise people there. It's not only the children, when you have women it might be a problem. Sometimes it's also a problem to convince people of the necessity of immunisation. But all in all, I think the world is doing a really great job. Polio could be eradicated by 2005. There are less than 2,000 cases left - mainly on the Indian subcontinent and of course in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are about a dozen countries in which civil war is still raging. That is a problem - civil war is more of an obstacle than any cultural differences."
And if polio is successfully eradicated, what next?
"Very good question. Polio would be the second disease after smallpox to be eradicated. Forever, hopefully. But there is more to do: malaria is a big problem, for example. AIDS is a very important issue. And also water: in Rwanda, for example, there are schools which can't function because they have no water. Vitamin A - if you're lacking that, it can lead to blindness in children. There's so much you can do for cents - for such a small donation."
Well I wish you the best of luck with the polio eradication programme, and everything else in the future. Dirk, thanks a lot for coming in and speaking to us.
"Thank you very much, and I just want to add that the welcome by the Czech people here is just great, so warm and friendly. I feel really comfortable here."
And to follow Dirk's travels around the globe, and learn more about the UNICEF campaign against polio, see the website http://www.2-mad.com/
