The Power of Bicycles (World Bicycle Relief)

Many years ago when reading the green classic “Small is Beautiful” by E.F. Schumacher, I came across the idea of intermediate technology. Schumacher was against the idea of transplanting advanced industrial technology into places like rural Africa and argued that they needed simple human powered technologies. Simple easy to maintain machines that allowed them to keep their traditional economic and social models but enhanced them by providing a huge increase in productivity.

I thought of Schumacher when I came across World Bicycle Relief (WBR) recently. Founded after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami WBR provides poor communities in Sri Lanka and Africa with bikes and train local mechanics to maintain them. This is a perfect example of Schumacher's idea in action, a simple rugged human powered machine producing a massive increase in productivity and a massive improvement in the quality of peoples lives.

In AIDS ravaged Zambia healthcare providers who assist AIDS sufferers have been provided with bikes. Instead of walking they now travel much faster and can see more patients each day.

The program gives bikes to rural students, some of whom spent many hours walking to and from school, and often arrived late. With a bike they get to school on time and their education improves.

Small farmers can carry more produce to market quicker on a bike, which boosts their income. Women who have to travel long distances to fetch water and firewood can do so much quicker with a bike. Young people have new career options as bike mechanics.

With bikes people save valuable time and energy, for every ten miles traveled on a bike three hours are saved. A person can carry five times more cargo on a bike than on foot. And they can cover the ground four times faster on a bike.

The bikes are Asian made Buffalo Bicycles. The're rugged machines, designed for the tough conditions of rural Africa and WBR is backing up the gift of a bike, by training mechanics and ensuring that spare parts are available.

WBR recently passed a major milestone, they have now distributed 100,000 bikes. For a donation of just over 100 euros (134 US dollars) they can send another bike to Africa. For only 189 euros (250 US dollars) they can train another mechanic. For small money we in the western world can put a bike in the hands of some of the poorest people on earth and really transform their lives for the better.

A video about how bikes are changing lives for the better in Africa

Visit the World Bicycle Relief website and make a donation

The Buffalo Bicycle