It’s the 2nd year that World Bicycle Relief (WBR) have supplied Buffalo bikes to Mikuyu. This year 63 bikes have been given to the students to help them get to school. And of the 63 , 80% of them have been given to girls..
Why? All these girls have one-way journeys of 13kms or more. Their journeys on foot can take 2 hours each way. That’s a lot of calories. And sometimes in 30-degree heat.
Many of them are too exhausted to study outside of school and most of them are vulnerable to harassment when they are walking.
WBR have data to show that girl students on Bikes:
• Are 19% less likely to drop out from school
• Reduced their absenteeism by 28%
• Cut their commute times by 33%, saving more than one hour a day
• Reported feeling more in control of the decisions affecting their lives
• Ranked themselves higher academically and had a greater belief in their potential to succeed in life
• Experienced 22% less sexual harassment and/or teasing on their way to school
The great news is that these 63 bikes can be used by parents for their own transport needs on weekends, which is a great boost to mobility in these rural areas.
And then when the girls complete their schooling at Mikuyu they are their families can keep the bikes to keep them..
By providing bicycles, we empower students to fulfill their potential and break the cycle of poverty. We are working with WBR to supply bikes in our other schools.