383 more jole  rider bicycles reach Gambian schools!

jole  rider 's latest shipment of bicycles has arrived safely at seven Gambian schools.

Kerewan, Njawara and Tahir schools took delivery of 101 bicycles apiece. All three serve remote areas in the central and eastern regions of The Gambia, where a high proportion of pupils were hitherto forced to walk three miles or more to attend classes.

The remaining 80 bicycles were shared equally between Pakaliuding, Nyorojataba, Kanlagi and Mayork schools in recognition of the exemplary way they've maintained previous batches of jole  bikes.

jole  rider's bike station in Gunjur, western Gambia, played host to a grand handing-over ceremony. The deputy officer for education services, Alhagi Bah, joined principals from all seven schools, several members of jole  rider staff and a number of honoured guests.

'These bicycles will increase school attendance,' enthused Mr Bah, 'just as previous consignments have in other Gambian schools.' jole  rider director Boyo Touray assured him that this was just the beginning of the organisation's commitment to supporting Gambian education. A number of other projects are in the pipeline.

The 383 bicycles were donated to jole  rider by families and individuals across the UK. They were then reconditioned by inmates at Swansea, Cardiff, Gloucester, Wellingborough, Liverpool, Risley and Dover prisons and loaded into a shipping container by jole  volunteers. They were shipped to The Gambia by DHL and delivered to the Gunjur bike station for final preparation.

After the handing-over ceremony, an army of local helpers hauled the bicycles onto trucks provided by the Gambian Department of Education to begin the final leg of their journey. One day later, all had arrived safely at their respective schools.

'We owe a massive debt of gratitude to everyone who's helped us at every stage,' says Mr Touray, 'without all of them, this amazing logistical feat could not have happened.'

The next shipment of bicycles and learning materials was loaded in England on March 25th, and will reach its destination in mid-April.

Over 5000 jole  bikes have now made it to The Gambia. But jole  rider 's involvement does not end here. The organisation needs tools and resources to teach maintenance skills and make sure that the bicycles give many years of faithful service. Visit www.jole -rider.org to offer support and find out more about past and future projects.

For more pictures, please click here