Velafrica refurbishes old bicycles in Switzerland and sends them to Africa, where they enable school visits, market trips, medical consultations or even cab rides. A bicycle can change the life of an African family, which is why organizations such as Velafrica and World Bicycle Relief have sent hundreds of thousands of bicycles to Africa in recent decades.
The coronavirus is of course also rampant in Africa, but in most places less intensively than in Europe and America. Velafrica's problem is that hardly any bicycles could be collected and made roadworthy in Switzerland due to the lockdown. The aid organization has nine partner organizations in Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Ivory Coast and South Africa. Most of them had to temporarily cease operations because they ran out of supplies. High-quality and affordable bicycles continue to arrive mainly as donations from the North.
Mountain bikes that can cope with unpaved roads and dirt tracks are particularly in demand. All types of luggage carriers are also useful for use in Africa, whether for transporting materials or passengers. However, Velafrica is interested in all types of bicycles. In various workshops in Switzerland, they are refurbished by people who cannot find a job on the primary labor market The old bikes are already doing good in Switzerland.
As many collection partners are only gradually ramping up their activities again, velafrica prefers that you register your donation via velospende.ch.