Twice As Much Bike, Twice As Much Good, Same Amount Of Money

World Bicycle Relief provides bicycles for people – usually young girls – in developing nations, and those bikes are rugged, high quality machines designed to stand up to rural commutes. Hannah previously did a bike check on one of the Buffalo bikes they give.

The bikes are specifically designed to be easily maintained.

The bikes are a little cheaper than you’re used to in high-end mountain bike land: A donation of £15 covers a wheelset, £35 a toolkit, £95 a bike, and £475 five bicycles. It’s the ultimate n+1, you pay for a bike, and it doesn’t take up any space in your shed. They just exist, somewhere out there, helping other people.

Today WBR is launching its campaign to provide bikes for girls in Malawi, with match funding on stations until 3rd August. Thanks to generous donors, your donations will be doubled until then, so it’s a great time to donate.

Seventeen-year-old Maggie has two children – Ruby, 2, and Joseph, 5. She went back to school because her baby didn’t have food and clothes. Despite the expenses of school, Maggie and her family see education as the way out of poverty.

There is good evidence that investing in girls’ education has significant wider social and economic benefits, hence WBR’s focus on giving bikes to girls so they can get to school. Often this doesn’t just mean time and energy to get there, but it means a safer journey with a reduced risk of sexual assault or grooming. WBR reports that girls are at risk of being offered transport in exchange for relationships – having their own transport means the girls aren’t under this pressure to trade themselves for access to their education.

World Bicycle Relief quotes the fact that ‘Investing in girls to continue their education leads to increased lifetime earnings of 68%’ and ‘46% of Malawian children do not finish primary school’.

If you think you’d like to be part of changing those statistics, head here to donate.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

Comments (2)

Denis CramptonDenis Crampton July 6, 2018 at 1:08 pm

Every word is true. We have Malawian friends & visit regularly & it’s the most fabulous country. Forget the stories you hear about Kenya or South Africa, Malawi is completely safe, people are friendly & helpful, the scenery is heartbreakingly lovely & it has excellent wildlife parks (how about sitting on the verandah watching elephants walk past 10 feet away without so much as a sttrand of wire in the way) at prices anyone can afford.
It also has grinding poverty. A bicycle is literally life changing coz people become mobile – not just for getting to school, but being able to get fish from the lake (ah! chambo! delicious…) or wild mangoes from the forest to the nearest town provides a cash income for isolated rural communities.
Incidentally, there’s real potential for mountain biking. Coz everyone gets around on foot or by bike the country’s criss-crossed with amazing singletrack, particularly in the mountains in the south or endless descents from the central plateau to the lake.
So, get yer wallet out now, & then start planning a holiday…

JayJay July 6, 2018 at 11:07 pm

Maybe another STW forum-bought bike…?