Bike Rental Project Expands With Hope

A Journey that started with 13 Bicycles at Enukweni Community Day secondary School in 2022 with the support of Globalance at Enukweni CDSS has now expanded to an additional 2 schools.

Jombo CDSS and Ezondweni CDSS has now benefited from the program with extra 30 bikes courtesy with support from Groundbreaker, World Bicycle Relief and Buffalo Bicycles.

Bike Rental Project is implemented with the long-term aim of providing educational opportunities to marginalized students walking longer distances than the recommended 8 Kilometers as approved for by the Ministry of Education.

According to Ulalo Executive Director James Gondwe, in the new 2023 – 2024 academic calendar the program will expand to additional 4 Schools (Luzi CDSS, Choma CDSS, Engucwini CDSS, Ekwendeni CDSS and Enukweni CDSS schools) with 100 bicycles.

“The project is in response to the challenges of longer distances that students walk to school leading to inconsistency in attendance, drop out and derailed education outcomes.” Said Gondwe.

At Ezondweni CDSS, 15 students have benefited from the project of which the majority, 8 are girls and 7 are boys while at Jombo CDSS 7 are girls and 8 are boys.

The project focuses on the mobility and financial constraints faced by secondary school students in rural Malawi in accessing educational facilities by providing them with bicycles through a sustainable model for repairs.