Kankumba School Bicycle Distribution

Last night, we had two reflection topics up for discussion. One was about our individual reasons for coming to Zambia after we heard Dave at the World Bicycle Relief (WBR) Headquarters speak. My answer to this question was the same before Dave spoke to us: service. He mentioned that the first human life was found here in Africa, in Tanzania, I believe, which is why I refer to Africa as the “Motherland.” Our Motherland should not be in the condition it is in today. Somehow, we are all connected back to Africa and with the U.S. being the strongest world power, we should give back and help our Motherland stay strong. The second discussion topic was how the bicycles impact Zambia and how it affects us in the States. In Zambia, and many other African countries, most common form of transportation is by foot. Some live miles away from schools, water sources, their jobs, etc, which takes them hours to walk to one destination. The bicycles that WBR donates help to reduce the time it take to get to and from places.

Today was the distribution ceremony at Kankumba Basic School. The ceremony consisted of performances by the community and school, many grateful parents and students, and of course the distribution. The head of the Kankumba School explained that many students walk a long way to get to school, some as far away as 22 kilometers. A board of people from the local supervising community chose who was to receive the bicycles, based on need. The head of WBR Africa, Dave, Elizabeth, and Gaby also spoke. The students expressed their gratitude through a song, dance, and poem.

The best part of the ceremony was handing the bicycles over to the deserving children and their parents. As each student’s name was called, students and teachers from LSI Zambia Groups 1 & 2 gave the student his/her bicycle. The look on each of their faces showed how grateful they really are to be receiving these bicycles. The parents seemed to be a little more excited about the bikes than the children were. It was very clear in their faces that a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Giving their children these bicycles meant that they had one less thing to worry about. After the ceremony, we had the privilege of dancing with everyone else in celebration.

-Alyssa