”Giving a girl a bicycle will increase her presence in school by close to 30%
and her results by as much as 60%.”
// World Bicycle Relief
The world is home to more than 1.1 billion girls under the age of 18 who could become the largest generation of female leaders, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen, if they are given the chance. However, they need to be energized, recognized, counted on and invested in. Today nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15-19 are neither employed nor in education or training – compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age.
We know for a fact, that access to school and education is crucial to empowering girls and promoting gender equality. We also know, for a fact, that bicycles could be the difference between going to school or not. That is why, from the very beginning, for every Vélosophy we sell we donated one bicycle to a young girl in a developing country. That is what keeps us going, still today. We believe that when given the opportunity, we should do everything in our power to contribute to society.
Meanwhile, the global need for more bicycles in the developing world is huge, an estimated 80.000.000 bicycles are required. No matter how small our contribution might seem in the context of these figures, we are committed to our promise and convinced that each and every bicycle counts.
Let us support that statement with some facts:
“An extra year of education increases a girls’ income by 10 to 20 % and is a significant step on the road to breaking the cycle of poverty. Educated girls mean the chance of a better life for themselves and their children, a more prosperous community, a better workforce and a wealthier nation.” // Plan, UK
“A basic education has a general preventative impact: it can inform children and youth and equip them to make decisions concerning their own lives, bring about long-term behavioural change, and give them the opportunity for economic independence – all fundamental to prevention, and therefore to hope.”
// the World Bank
The donation bike, the Buffalo Bicycle, designed by World Bicycle Relief, isn’t your typical bike. While most of the world’s bicycles are lightweight, complex and made for recreation, the Buffalo is designed to meet the pressing needs of people in rural regions of developing countries. Together with industry leaders there’s a commitment to creating a stronger, simpler, and sustainable bicycle that can withstand harsh rural conditions.
The amazing thing is that you – on a One for One basis – can bring that hope of a brighter future to a young schoolgirl, simply by buying a Vélosophy bicycle.
So, the next time you are considering buying a bicycle, consider the impact of a bicycle in a developing country.
One for One, we pay it forward. Supporting World Bicycle Relief.
