15-year-old Maximilian lives with his parents and two siblings in Moshi, south of Mount Kilimanjaro. His journey to school is 15 kilometers, which is not uncommon in Tanzania, as Sabine Zaugg from Velafrica explains. Until recently, he used to get up early in the morning to ride the bus to school. This was often late and he was regularly late for school.

The family was able to buy a discounted bike for their eldest through the Bike-to-School program, Velafrica reports. "I'm happy that I no longer have to get up at 5am. My parents can also save on the bus ticket and I can get to class on time," says Maximilian, who prefers science and English at school.

A sturdy mountain bike from Switzerland is the ideal means of transportation in Tanzania, where the roads are uneven and rarely tarred. Another positive effect: the 15-year-old comes to school more relaxed and can concentrate better. And after school there is time to hang out with friends. Actually a matter of course for a teenager.

The bicycle makes education and medical care accessible

The Bern-based organization Velafrica has been collecting disused bicycles throughout Switzerland since 1993. In 2017 alone, 52 containers with 24,000 refurbished, roadworthy bikes were sent to Africa. Maximilian's mountain bike is a special one. It is the 200,000th bike that Velafrica has exported.

As Maximilian's example shows, recycled bikes from Switzerland improve access to education. Health centers or markets can also be reached more easily. In rural regions of Africa, 80% of people travel on foot and carry their loads on their heads. The sturdy bicycles from Switzerland can transport several times these loads.

The bicycle creates employment opportunities in Africa

Velafrica not only promotes mobility with bicycles, but also builds local bicycle centers where mechanics are trained. Jobs and income opportunities are created in bicycle assembly, repair and sales. The 200,000th bicycle was also received in a Velafrica workshop. At the Arusha Bicycle Center, 17 young people have already completed a course in bicycle mechanics and some of them now run their own bicycle stores.

In Switzerland, Velafrica works with social institutions that employ refugees, the unemployed and people with health impairments. They repair the bikes in recycling workshops and prepare them for transportation. Integration work is thus combined with development cooperation.

(Source: press release)