Bikes for the World (BfW) is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (tax ID #237305477) whose central mission is to collect unwanted bicycles and related material in the United States and deliver it at low cost to community development programs assisting the poor in developing countries or in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  As much as possible, Bikes for the World uses the donated bicycles to help set-up self-sustaining bicycle repair operations which can make enough money to pay the shipping costs for subsequent container shipments of donated bicycles.

Bikes for the World also operates the Rockville Youth Bicycle Project in suburban Maryland, offering local youth opportunities to learn about bicycles, fulfill high school community service requirements, earn a reconditioned bicycle, and bike safely and enjoyably.

(Right: Picture from Nyariga, Ghana showing a recipient of a Bikes for the World bicycle. Courtesy of the Shape Lives Foundation)

Bikes for the World was founded in January 2005 and made its first independent shipment in February 2005, to Honduras.  In its first three years, Bikes for the World has donated more than 20,000 bicycles to ten partner agencies in eight countries, as well as to several programs serving youth and adults in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  In the spring of 2007, BfW opened its own youth bike program, in Rockville MD, serving local youth and the community-at-large.  The Rockville Youth Bicycle Project offers local youth opportunities to learn about bicycles, fulfill Maryland high school community service requirements ("student service learning"), earn a reconditioned bicycle, and bike safely and enjoyably.   

Bikes for the World’s director is Keith Oberg, former Vice-President and Washington DC Area Coordinator of Pedals for Progress. Keith has worked in overseas development programs professionally and as a volunteer for more than 30 years.  Between 1987 and 1999, Keith represented the Inter-American Foundation, a US government agency, in Central America and the Caribbean.  From 1992-96 he served on an unpaid basis as chairman of the board of the NY-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

Mike McMillion directs the Rockville Youth Bicycle Project.  Mike is a long-time cyclist and former Airborne instructor. As part of his project responsibilities, Mike trains local physical education teachers in bicycle & pedestrian safety for elementary school students, under a Bikes for the World contract with the City of Rockville. 

BfW maintains a listserv of more than 600 volunteers and donors who provide generous in-kind and other support. Without this active volunteer base, BfW would be unable to collect, store, and ship bikes. To join the listserv and receive periodic updates of BfW activities, accomplishments, and volunteer needs (we promise no more than 20 messages yearly!), email us at “ info at bikesfortheworld.org “  or signup here.

BfW also actively collects bicycles outside of the Washington DC region, particularly in coastal cities of the mid-Atlantic region between Delaware and North Carolina. For the BfW contact closest to you, look elsewhere in this website, or write us at the email address “info at bikesfortheworld.org“ and specify your location.

Our Sponsors

Bikes for the World is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, a 7,000-member non-profit advocacy and educational organization promoting bicycling in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Founded in 1972, WABA manages, sponsors, or coordinates a wide range of activities benefiting area cyclists and the community-at-large.

For more than 30 years, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association has been promoting bicycling as a healthy and sustainable means of transportation by advocating for better riding conditions in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Become a WABA member now and show your support for a fully integrated transportation system. One that allows you to ride your bicycle everywhere you want to go - safely.

For further info on WABA, visit www.waba.org, or to become a member of WABA, you can visit their signup page here.