DRIVE FOR BIKES FOR AFRICA

An initiative started by the Rotary club of Lisburn 5 years ago has helped change the lives of numerous African children by making education more accessible to them through the donation and refurbishment of unwanted bicycles. Rotary Ireland needs your help to reach the target of 2000 bikes in 2016.

The donated bikes, from across Ireland, are refurbished in a purpose built repair facility by prisoners from Loughan House Open Centre in Cavan before being sent to Gambia.

Many of the Rotary clubs in Ireland facilitate the collection and refurbishment of these bikes from across Ireland, which are then delivered to Jole Rider, a charity which distributes them to schools in Gambia, Africa.

Donald Minshull, President of the Rotary Club of Lisburn says of the campaign;

 “We are delighted with the success of the Jole Rider project to date and we are keen to see the donations reach the 2000 mark before Christmas.

 “Each container we ship contains over 300 bikes and we are just 120 bikes away from filling our next container.

“We’d like to urge the people of Ireland to donate their unwanted bikes so we can get them refurbished and off to Africa as soon as possible.

“It’s also worth mentioning the type of bike that is suitable, these young people are travelling over rough terrain so mountain bikes will be better suited to their needs.”

Once donated, bikes are delivered to Loughan House Open Centre by Rotary clubs from all over Ireland and refurbished by a dedicated team of fully trained prisoners, Governor, Eddie Mullins is adamant the project has real local benefits;

“At Loughan House Open Centre we run a series of social enterprise initiative schemes aimed at preparing prisoners for becoming part the community once again, the Jole Rider project is one of these and we have a purpose built bicycle repair workshop where the prisoners are trained as bike engineers.”

“Through their work here they receive a City and Guilds qualification that we hope will benefit them and give them a purpose upon their release. At any one time we have around eight prisoners working as engineers on the project and we can really see the very positive impact that the work has on those that take part.”

A spokesperson for the prisoners who refurbish the bikes says they are delighted to work on the Jole Rider Project;

“At Loughan House we are very lucky to be able to learn a number of new skills which we hope will help us better integrate back into society when the time comes. Working in the bike shed is a pleasure and knowing that the bikes we fix are helping young people truly makes it all the more worth while.”

The bikes received by the African students have changed their lives for the better. Many African children live in remote communities, a long way from their nearest school and without reliable, affordable or motorised transport the only way they can get to school is to walk – upwards of five miles for one leg of the journey in many cases. In searing heat, their journey to education on foot is a daily epic mission and as a result their studies suffer. Having a bicycle makes a world of difference for these children, their families and also their wider communities.

The bikes enable these young people to not only get to school and arrive on time, but also to begin the school day alert, instead of exhausted. Many now stay for extra lessons at the end of the school day and they remain safe by travelling home from school in daylight. As a result, the area has seen an increase in higher academic achievement.

The Gambian Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education said of the direct and positive impact the bikes have had on education in the area;

“The number of students at rural schools in The Gambia who gained 5 or more credits [entry requirement for university] has more than doubled as a direct result of the bicycles. Also, students at rural schools are achieving Aggregate Scores of 6 [TOP MARKS] for the first time in the country’s history.”

To support this wonderful initiative and help Rotary Ireland to reach this milestone please consider donating your unwanted bicycles by visiting www.rotary.ie or by contacting your local Rotary club.