bikes 4 Africa

 a Rotary International of Britain and Ireland project

bikes4Africa is jole rider’s flagship programme in support of its mission: 
to change lives through education

Many African children live in remote communities, a long way from their nearest school.
Without reliable, affordable, motorised transport the only way these children
can get to school is to walk. 
In searing heat, their journey to education on foot is a daily epic mission.
Having a bicycle makes a world of difference for these children, and for their families and communities too.

bikes4Africa refurbishes donated second-hand bikes and delivers them from the UK
to African schools, where they enable children to...

•    get to school, and arrive on time, instead of late
•    begin the school day alert, instead of exhausted
•    stay for extra lessons at the end of the school day
•    remain safe by travelling home from school in daylight
•    reach higher academic achievement

The number of students at rural schools in The Gambia who gained 5 or more credits
[entry requirement for university] has more than doubled as a direct result of the bicycles.

Also, students at rural schools are achieving Aggregate Scores of 6 [TOP MARKS]
for the first time in the country’s history.

Bicycles
Bikes need to meet the criteria in our Bike Spec.
Bikes also need to come with a donation of at least £10 each, to cover the cost of shipping to Africa.
We receive bikes from individuals, the police, recycling centres and businesses.

We delivered our first consignment of bikes to The Gambia, West Africa,
in April 2006.

Our partners HM Prison Service help us to refurbish the bikes.
The work is carried out by inmates in prisons around the UK.

We pack the bikes into sea containers, a minimum of 333 bikes at a time, and ship them to Africa.
We pack a sea container with bikes, books and furniture for schools every 2 months.
Our loadings take place on the last Wednesday of the month,
usually at our base in Wiltshire.

Thanks to the investment, help and involvement of schools, volunteers and our partners, we change more than 2500 lives directly every year,  and many thousands more every year indirectly.

In Africa
When the bikes arrive in The Gambia, our partner organisation jole rider Gambia, which has pre-selected the schools, oversees the distribution of the bikes with the assistance of the Gambian Ministry of Education.
Bikes remain school property, with teachers allocating them to the
children who need them most.
When a child graduates from school, their bike is re-allocated to another child. 

Sustainability
Local Field Engineers and selected school students receive training in
bike maintenance and servicing.
The schools buy some of the spares and consumables needed in-country
and we also provide supplies from the UK.
Our partner organisation monitors the bike fleets and assists the schools with
the maintenance of the bikes. 

Our Goals
To deliver as many suitable bikes to schools in Africa as we can;
and to sustain a programme enabling ongoing maintenance of the bikes
- by providing tools, skills training and local support.

What YOU Can Do
Receiving donated bikes is an important element of bikes4Africa.
However, for a donated bikes to change a child's life in Africa, we also need to receive shipment funding along with it.
It costs just £10 to deliver a bike to a school in Africa.
A donation of more than £10 means we can change lives for even more African children.
To find out how you can can invest in bikes4Africa, and help young Africans change their lives - and Africa - positively through education, click here.

If you have a bike to Invest, with £10 for its journey to Africa, then click here.

If you would like to organise a bikes4Africa Day
or collect a quantity of bikes - click here.