Update on the project - who we are and what we do.
Bicycles for us are a means of commuting in a greener, environmentally friendly and healthier way. But for people in countries in the developing world a bicycle is a far more valuable if not even vital form of transport.
Limited access to transportation, whether it is physical or financial, restricts access to the best possible life.
About our project
Bike Aid Africa was first set up in 2008 as a voluntary non-profit making organisation based in Belfast. Our organisation is still very young and at humble beginnings.
Our project aims to raise awareness of issues faced by people living in developing countries. It is hoped that our project will help to alleviate the inequalities faced by people in Africa. Through providing bicycles to countries in Africa we are hoping to improve access to services and improve transportation and thus strengthen communities from within.
We are collecting old bikes and parts throughout Northern Ireland. The bikes are repaired in our Belfast workshop and are checked for roadworthiness. The bikes will be shipped to countries in the developing world and benefit schools, orphanages, aid workers and aid projects in Africa. We have established links with other local charitable organisations, who work in Africa. Those partner organisations ship goods to countries in the developing world and Bike Aid Africa has been able to donate several hundred bikes to those organisations.
How do our bikes help
Improved access to transportation, especially for the poor, can improve employment prospects, reduce the money and time spent getting to jobs and schools or hauling fuel and water, reduce the costs of inputs for small-scale enterprise activities and increase access to markets for products.
In the bigger picture, restricted mobility and transport means a barrier to development. Transportation is an important element of development in African countries at the most basic level.
Bicycles are an affordable means of transport, no license or fuel is required thus they are also reliable.
For 99% of the population who cannot afford a car, the only alternative is to walk.
Bike Aid Africa has shipped bikes to Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Zambia
Our Partner Organisations:
• Elim International, Newtownards
• The Spirit of Paul McGirr