In Africa, a Bicycle can Make all the Difference
As of December 2014:
- 85,000 donated used bikes shipped to Africa since 1999
- 15,000 new bike owners taught bike repair skills in Ghana and Sierra Leone
- 50,000 bike tools distributed in 14 African countries
- 1000 students learned to ride a bike in Ghana and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Programs Suspended in 2014
To protect VBP students and staff during the Ebola epidemic, our Learn to Ride and bicycle repair programs in Sierra Leone have been curtailed. Our hearts go out to all who suffer from the devastation Ebola causes for families and communities. We look forward to resuming work in Sierra Leone as soon as possible in 2015.
Bikes provide power and opportunity, allowing people to lift themselves from poverty. Riding a bike is four times faster than walking, the only choice for millions of Africans. People with bikes get to schools, markets, farms and health care in one-fourth the time, improving their lives and economic futures.
Our successful program supplies bikes, spare parts and tools. We also train owners in basic bike maintenance and repair. We work with bicycle mechanics in their villages to improve their tools, their skills; their ability to repair and maintain their customers' bikes. We empower whole communities by including women and girls in bicycle education. These components work together to nurture the use of bikes. Improved mobility is a key to reducing poverty. In Africa, a bicycle can take a person from poverty to prosperity.
Village Bicycle Project relies on hundreds of volunteers worldwide, with very limited administrative expenses. Over 12,000 volunteer hours are donated each year across the USA, Canada, England, Ghana and Sierra Leone.