CHANGING THE FUTURE, ONE BIKE AT A TIME

The future of a country can be seen in its schools.  Does the nation build new ones? Does it offer a chance for students to learn?  Does it make sure students are safe
with good teachers?

Unfortunately, in many places, money is not always available for schooling.  There are schools and teachers, but the poorest children are not able to attend those schools and learn from those teachers.  Instead, they need to stay at home and work – and
their chance to learn is taken away.

Other times, the school is so far away that students need to walk for hours to get there. They are tired when they arrive and they are not able to learn.  And they must leave early to get home, again walking for hours.  They are tempted to take rides from strangers, which is not safe.  Or, they stay overnight nearby, sometimes sharing a single bed with two or more other students, because they do not have money for a better room.

All of this time walking takes away from time at home, with their family, time that they can be doing homework, or helping the family business.  It often gets to be too
difficult and they drop out of school.

The country of Zambia, in Africa, has seen the problems that students face.  Zambia is
a country about the size of Texas, with about half as many people. The population is 11.5 million.  Of those, half are younger than 17 years old and 1.1 million are orphans.

To help change the future for its students, the Zambian Ministry of Education is working with World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.  Together, they will provide 50,000 bicycles to the neediest students and some teachers in Zambia, to help them get to school!

These are no ordinary bicycles.  In many parts of Africa, the only bicycles are made for adults.  World Bicycle Relief talked to teachers and students throughout Zambia and designed a new, kid-sized, bike – it looks just like the adult bikes, but is just the right size for a student.  These bikes are very strong and can ride over the dirt roads that the students travel.

With a new bike, a student can travel four times faster than by walking – making a three-hour walk to school last just 45 minutes. That’s 4-1/2 hours saved every day!  Plus, the students will be less tired, so they can learn better at school and be more helpful to their families when they get home.

These bicycles will start to arrive this June, with about 100 students at 500 schools receiving a bike.  At 1,000 bikes a month, that’s one school every 3 days!  Some bikes will also go to teachers who have to travel far to get to students, and some will go to people in villages who support their local school.  Together, these 50,000 bicycles
are a way to help the neediest students, give them a way to learn, and a chance at a better future!

 
  Families Travel by Bicycle             A Zambian Girl                  Building a Simple Toy
                                                          and her brother



Chris Strout
Communication Manager
World Bicycle Relief

©2009, World Bicycle Relief