World Bicycle Relief (http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/) assembles custom-designed bicycles for African road conditions in Zambia and provides them to aid workers, teachers, and students. Their parts are made in Taiwanand India (by Tata Motors), shipped by sea container to Durbin, South Africa, and then trucked to Zambia, where they are assembled. Today both LearnServe Groups made bikes and tomorrow they will be delivered to a rural
community east of Lusaka.
Today we visited World Bicycle Relief’s (WBR) office. Everyone was in groups of twos and partnered up with a mechanic, I remember hearing Elizabeth saying, the mechanics can only look and tell us what to do. My first thought was “I have no type of experience with building a bike, so how am I going to build this bike?”
Building the bike was actually easier than what I thought it was going to be. I felt very pleased with myself after building the bike that will help a woman taking care of her family by herself; or get her to work on time. The bikes also help AIDS relief volunteer to do site visits to help HIV/AIDS patients.
I really like how WBR operates because it’s beneficial both ways. The mechanics and the staff know that their hard work is going to last a long time but also teach responsibility to others. WBR makes recipients of the bikes sign a contract basically saying that they will use the bike to take care of their family or get to school and etc. and not using the bike to go to the “beer hall.” I really like WBR and the impact that they are making not only in Africa but throughout the world.
Dominique
Building a bike for someone in need is a good thing. All throughout Africa, many people have to walk miles to get to place to place. Most young women tend to chores around the house and their younger siblings. Most of these young women arrive to school late. To combat this issue F. K. Day, the founder of World Bicycle Relief, decided to start a program in which he donates thousands of bikes to people in need. As a volunteer at WBR I helped build a bike for someone in need. I felt good knowing that I built a bike a young girl get to school. I can’t wait to give the bikes away to the people that live in Chongwe District (east of Lusaka) because I know it will bring smiles to everyone.
Eriel