Power of a Bicycle

Andreas Nomwine was under a lot of stress just trying to go to school. He is 13 years old. Andreas was walking two hours every day just to attend class. Then he received a bike. Now he gets to school in half the time and has a lot more energy to focus on learning.

I had wanted to drop school but this bike has energised me to continue with my education

Andreas

 Many students in rural communities across Africa walk great distances just to attend school. It's not uncommon for students to walk over 10 miles a day just to receive an education. The strain this time away from home puts on families often forces students to drop out of school especially after primary school. For girls the pressure to leave school to help with siblings or chores around the house is greater. Often girls struggle to convince their parents that an education is just as important to them as it is to a brother...sometimes more important.

Village Bicycle Project knows. And they have been working for decades to improve rural communities, specifically the health and education of young women. Bikes for the World has been donating bikes to Ghana for the last 21 years. We have delivered 30,923 bikes since 2005. Our last container of bikes delivered to Ghana arrived this past spring in Accra. In addition to boosting the businesses of numerous surrounding bike shops and mechanics, the program also repaired and delivered 80 bikes to the Vieri community 350 miles from the capital city.

During that springtime bike distribution Andreas received a bike and learned how to maintain it. He has been using the bike to go to and from school and saving a lot of time in the process. He also uses the bike to go to market and to buy and transport his books. Owning a bike has totally transformed his desire to learn. 

Village Bicycle Project reports the following, from that 80 bike delivery:

• 20 Junior High School students (10 males, 10 females) who travel over 10 km daily to school
• 8 teachers who commute 8 km to school
• 7 trade apprentices (5 hairdressers, 2 dressmakers) who walk 8 km daily to their workplaces
• 2 nurses who reside far from their duty posts
• 40 farmers with the longest distance to farmlands
• 3 local bicycle mechanics received advanced training and spare parts