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Barbados- Pinelands Creative Workshop
Pinelands mechanics repair bikes in their workshop and sell them at a low cost in their community. Profits from sales help fund projects such as a Meals On Wheels program, mediation and education programs for at-risk youth in gangs, and employment preparedness for women.
Costa Rica- MiBici
Participating ECs receive an allotment of bikes that they repair and sell in their communities. Not only does the program increase access to affordable transportation in these areas, but revenue from the sales are reinvested in these areas and distributed as loans to members to help them grow their own micro-businesses.
El Salvador- CESTA
CESTA runs EcoBici, a program that trains at-risk youth in bike mechanics, helping them build skills, increase job prospects, and stay out of gangs. They youth also manage a store that sells the repaired bikes to their community, thereby increasing access to affordable and environmentally-friendly transportation.
Ghana- Village Bicycle Project
Village Bicycle Project (VBP) leads workshops that train rural workers and students in bike riding and basic bike maintenance. These programs focus on providing individuals with both hands-on mechanical training and small business entrepreneurship skills in order to best serve their communities.
A significant component of VBP's work is their one-day workshops which are held in rural communities all over Ghana. These are in-depth sessions which are run by local VBP staff and highlight all facets of bike repair and can be used as a building block towards their advanced course. At the conclusion of these workshops all participants have access to purchase specialized tools at reduced rates which can help kick start a bicycle repair business.
Kenya- Wheels of Africa
Wheels of Africa is devoted to improving the cycling culture in Kenya through promoting bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation and advocating for motorists to learn to share the road. The group also distributes bikes to rural healthcare workers, students, and others in need.
Madagascar- MAHEFA
In Madagascar nearly 80% of the population lives in rural areas with limited access to health services, leading to high rates of infant, child, and maternal mortality. The MAHEFA program works to establish co-ops in rural areas that distribute bikes to healthcare workers so they can serve individuals who with limited access to transportation or medical supplies.
Through the E-Box initiative, the co-ops have a central location for distribution of medicine and supplies to the community and a point of storage and service for the bikes. Some bikes are also sold locally with funds going back to the co-op for underwriting the purchase of medical supplies, making investments in agricultural and animal husbandry initiatives and job creation in the form of additional healthcare workers and bike mechanics.
Philippines- Bikes for the Philippines
Bikes for the Philippines is an education project working to get and keep children in school. Active in several dozen communities across the country, BfP has provided hundreds of students in primary and secondary school with bikes.
Students in danger of dropping out due to distance or financial hardships are hand selected to receive a bike on loan in an effort to increase graduation rates. Beneficiaries earn their bikes upon graduation. Additionally, BfP hosts mechanic skills courses for students and the community at large. Participants are able to attain employable skills for use one their schooling is complete.
Sierra Leone- Village Bicycle Project
Village Bicycle Project (VBP) leads workshops that train rural workers and students in bike riding and basic bike maintenance. They also offer more in-depth classes to teach specific mechanic skills necessary to repair and rebuild bikes essential to a new mechanic. VBP makes subsidized bikes and tools available to all participants.
In Sierra Leone, the project's focus is teaching women and young girls how to ride and care for their bikes. The program empowers women and helps them stay in school and better care for their families.
In the Northern Province of Sierra Leone VBP also supports a cycling club that introduces the sport to women and youth as a means of encouraging a healthy and active life.
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