Bikes for the World (BfW) is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (tax ID #237305477) whose mission is to collect valuable but unwanted bicycles and related material--parts, tools, and accessories--in the United States and deliver it at low cost to community development programs assisting the poor in developing countries.   The bikes donated to our partner organizations provide much-needed and affordable transportation to laborers, micro businesspeople, farmers, health workers, and students.  Recipients benefit in proportion to THEIR efforts.  Our non-profit partner organizations sell bikes at a below-market price or distribute them to targeted beneficiaries in exchange for volunteer services (e.g., health workers in Namibia) or as award (e.g., for scholarship students living miles away from school, as in the Gambia or Senegal).  

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 direct 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.

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

Also see this YouTube video by America.gov describing the mission of Bikes for the World:

And see the MSNBC video about how Bikes for the World contributes bikes supporting sustainable development for a small community near Johannesburg, South Africa.

Bikes for the World was founded in January 2005 and made its first independent shipment in February 2005, to Honduras.  Shipments followed to Sri Lanka (for tsunami recovery), then elsewhere in Central America and Africa.  In less than four years (through July 2008), Bikes for the World has mobilized more than 100 community organizations and many hundreds of individual volunteers to collect and donate 29,000 used quality bicycles to eleven partner agencies in nine countries (Barbados, Costa Rica, the Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Namibia, Panama, and Uganda) as well as to several programs serving youth and adults in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  In the spring of 2007, BfW opened the Rockville Youth Bicycle Project at the historic King Farm, with support from the City of Rockville (MD), Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), and the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club.

Plans are underway to expand shipments to West Africa--specifically Senegal, Liberia, and Sierra Leone--providing humanitarian assistance to some of the continent's poorest communities--and consolidate Bikes for the World's position as the largest bicycle reuse program in North America.   

Bikes for the World is led by a volunteer steering committee and two paid staff.  Its director is Keith Oberg.  Keith has worked in overseas development programs professionally and as a volunteer for more than 30 years.  Prior to founding Bikes for the World, Keith served as Vice-President and Washington DC Area Coordinator of Pedals for Progress.  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 700 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 thousands of bicycles annually. 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.