World Bicycle Relief (WBR) is a worldwide not-for-profit that distributes bicycles to rural communities everywhere in the world. That’s 700,000 bikes and counting. Our pals at Adventure.com sat down with WBR co-founder FK Day to learn how two-wheeled journey may also help folks conquer distance, obtain independence and thrive in powerful situations.
This article was initially printed on Adventure.com.
The thought for World Bicycle Relief started in 2004, within the wake of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami: a 30-metre-high monster wave that struck the coasts of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Thailand and Somalia.
FK Day, one of many founders of bicycle producer SRAM, noticed the destruction on the information.
“My colleagues and I were horrified,” he says, “not only by the loss of life, but also the wholesale devastation. Whole communities were suddenly homeless.”
As a part of the bike trade, Day’s ideas naturally turned to wheels and gears. People within the affected areas nonetheless wanted to get round, proper? Was there one thing SRAM may do to assist?
He referred to as a bunch of reduction organisations within the US, making an attempt to foyer curiosity in a bicycle donation program, however wasn’t having a lot luck. Then his brother instructed flying out to Sri Lanka. Just a few days later, Day was on a airplane. When he landed in South East Asia, he discovered native companions and assist organisations prepared to assist. The staff ended up elevating funds for twenty-four,000 bicycles, distributing them all through the area.
They additionally measured what occurred subsequent.
What they discovered was that bikes are carefully tied to livelihood, training and earnings. Especially in rural communities. “We measured the impact and found three key areas where owning a bicycle made a significant impact: education, healthcare and economic development,” Day says.
That was practically 20 years in the past and World Bicycle Relief has been rising ever since. The objective now could be to succeed in a million donated bikes and empower 5 million folks by 2025.
We sat down with FK to study extra concerning the organisation and the way folks can become involved.
FK, did you discover any regional variations within the bike program?
“Definitely. That was one of many early challenges. In Sri Lanka, we assumed that, as a result of bicycles have been straightforward to supply, folks would know learn how to trip, have the talents to keep up a bicycle and be capable to entry components and repairs. Our assumptions have been right.
But as we expanded to Africa, it was a very completely different story. There have been no native suppliers and the bikes that have been out there have been horrible high quality. We affectionately referred to as these BSOs, which stands for ‘bicycle-shaped objects’.
Since then we’ve labored to create a motorcycle that may stand as much as just about something. We name it the Buffalo Bicycle – manufactured in Taiwan and assembled domestically. This is the mannequin we roll out everywhere in the world.”
How does this system work?
“Buffalo Bicycles operates as a social enterprise. By assembling domestically, we preserve the prices down and we additionally present native employment. Our assemblers are paid a superb earnings, study new abilities and plenty of go on to have careers in enterprise administration and advertising and marketing.
We promote these bikes in additional than 50 outlets in Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the proceeds from these gross sales go to fund our philanthropic applications. Each design is examined domestically, for native situations and we additionally prepare area mechanics in rural communities, so folks can entry repairs and components.”
How can bicycles assist empower rural communities?
“More than a billion folks in rural areas lack entry to dependable roads and reasonably priced transportation. In the nations the place we work, day-after-day is a long-distance race. Every journey begins and ends on foot. There are sometimes no roads, not to mention entry to vehicles, motorbikes or buses. If transport is accessible, the prices could be prohibitive for folks dwelling in low-income communities.
This lack of environment friendly, dependable transport adversely impacts financial and social improvement and makes it extraordinarily exhausting for low-income communities to interrupt the cycle of poverty.
We imagine that mobility is a elementary human proper. With a top quality bicycle, purpose-built to hold heavy masses on tough roads, kids can attain college, folks can get their items to market, make more cash and healthcare staff can present care in distant rural settings.”
You additionally do some work with gender equality, proper?
“We certain do. Around 70% of the bikes we distribute go to ladies, who usually tend to drop out of faculty than their male friends, because of distance and safety considerations.
Seeing the affect of women with a bicycle is unimaginable. Attendance goes up, college efficiency goes up, tardiness goes down. And the women really feel extra assured and accountable for their lives. For lots of these ladies, the bicycle is a robust software of empowerment.
One story that sticks in my thoughts is a gaggle of women in Zimbabwe who have been going to drop out of faculty due to the space they have been compelled to journey. When their principal heard World Bicycle Relief was beginning an area training program, he personally sought out the women and mentioned, ‘You must come back. You will get a bike and it will make the journey so much easier.’
Thanks to bicycles, these ladies began returning to high school. The various for them can be ongoing, intergenerational poverty. I hear tales like this from far and wide, many times.”
What can common folks do to assist?
“Well, this yr we’ve partnered with Intrepid Travel to launch the Buffalo Bicycle Ride. This is a worldwide biking fundraising problem that anybody can be a part of and it’s going down on 2 April 2023.
The wonderful thing about this occasion is that it offers you a cause to get coaching. A objective to work in the direction of.
But most significantly, by participating and fundraising for World Bicycle Relief, you actually can have an infinite affect on an individual’s life. I can’t emphasise this sufficient. A bicycle in a rural group isn’t simply transportation. It means somebody can entry probably the most important and vital alternatives to construct a greater life.
This is one thing we frequently take with no consideration. A bicycle can imply the possibility to go to high school, to construct a enterprise, or entry doubtlessly life-saving healthcare. It’s such a robust software.”
Want to help World Bicycle Relief? Join the Intrepid Buffalo Bicycle Ride on Sunday 2 April 2023 or donate to the trigger. Get lively, fundraise and assist distribute Buffalo Bicycles in rural low-income communities.