World Bicycle Relief NFP

Give the Power of Bicycles this holiday season and your gift will be matched!
Our new video will show you how the Power of Bicycles is creating Communities on the Move: http://onthemove.worldbicyclerelief.org/
- - -
Program Areas.
Healthcare - Bicycles enable healthcare workers to reduce their travel time so they see more patients. This increases the quality of care and the overall health of the community.
Economic Development - Bicycles provide greater carrying capacity enabling farmers and entrepreneurs to deliver more goods to market in less time.
Education - Bicycles for students, teachers and school volunteers reduce travel time, increase safety, improve educational outcomes and help communities thrive.
- - -
Why World Bicycle Relief?
Results Driven - We monitor and evaluate our programs and bicycle design to ensure we meet end-user needs. We aspire to be global experts in the field of bicycle transportation in the countries where we work.
Innovative Model - Our organization combines philanthropy with social enterprise to enable more bicycles to be distributed per donor dollar to achieve greater efficiencies of scale.
Collaborative - We partner closely with nonprofits and businesses to design and implement sustainable programs leveraging best practices and local expertise.
Scale - Over the past ten years, we've designed our supply chain to be high quality, scalable and nimble to best serve the needs of our partners and end users.
The Buffalo Bicycle - Our Buffalo Bicycle is designed, sourced and manufactured for durability and affordability and it is engineered specifically for rural terrain and heavy loads.
- - -
Where We Work.
We have active, ongoing programs in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Colombia and also have reached Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Peru, Indonesia and the Philippines.
- - -
Impact.
Since our start in 2005, World Bicycle Relief has distributed more than 225,000 Buffalo Bicycles through our philanthropic programs and social enterprise and trained 1,000 field mechanics.
Healthcare - Over 11,000 Buffalo Bicycles were distributed in 2014, 74% of those were social enterprise sales to nonprofits, increasing the efficiency and delivery of their health programs. In partnership with PATH, 1,100 bicycles went to their volunteer caregivers resulting in an increase of monthly patient visits to 15-23, up from 8-9.
Education - Almost 23,000 Buffalo Bicycles were distributed in 2014 as part of our Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP). Zambia was our first education program, beginning in 2009, and to date, over 36,000 bicycles have been distributed to schools in seven of Zambia's ten provinces. South Africa launched BEEP in 2013 with 368 bicycles distributed, but in 2014 the distributions spiked to 5,600 bikes into 58 schools across four provinces.
Economic Development - About 19,500 bikes have been provided in 2014, 31% of those being purchases by entrepreneurs like farmers and shop owners. The Buffalo Bicycle has earned a reputation for durability, functionality and affordability – nonprofits, businesses and individuals worldwide turn to WBR for proven solutions for their transportation needs. Redland Roses in Kenya empowers their workers by providing Buffalo Bicycles through an employee purchase program. Redland covers 70% of the cost while the employee pays the balance over 8 months.
* * *
We have discovered that the Buffalo Bicycle, on average:
Increases an individuals capacity by 5X due to the 100kg carrying rack.
Increases the distance traveled by 4X over the same period of time as walking
For every ten miles traveled, the Buffalo Bicycle saves 3 Hours of valuable time.
- - -
Program Spotlights: Healthcare
900 bicycles distributed to Mawa nutrition volunteers have increased the number of household visits, improved efficiencies in project activities and enhanced quality of life for recipients. For most volunteers – the majority of whom are women – it is the first bicycle they have ever owned.
Led by Catholic Relief Services and funded by USAid, Mawa: a food security project, aims to improve food and economic security for vulnerable households in Chipata and Lundazi districts of Zambia’s Eastern Province. Promoting consumption of nutrient-dense foods and prevention of malnutrition for pregnant and lactating women will help to improve the nutritional status of children under two.
Jenny Zulu, a community-based volunteer, teaches positive health and nutrition practices to ten households in her community. Apart from Mawa activities, Jenny uses her bicycle to transport crops to market and attend local meetings – helping to improve the quality of life for her family and community.
“No better tool suits the rural conditions in Zambia like the Buffalo Bicycle. The assurance of quality and support of trained field mechanics have proven to be effective tools to increase volunteer healthcare and agricultural workers’ motivation and retention. Buffalo Bicycles keep our programs moving forward.”
— Emmanuel Banda
Deputy National Director, CARE Zambia
- - -
Program Spotlight: Education
WBR’s program launched in Zimbabwe, with 7,156 bicycles distributed and 126 mechanics trained, benefiting 65 schools in three districts of Zimbabwe. In partnership with World Vision, this initiative is part of an innovative program called Improving Girls’ Access through Transformative Education (IGATE) helping to provide access to education for girls living in remote communities. In 2014, we provided more than 5,000 bikes into this large-scale education program focused on empowering girls.

Corporate partners, like ING Bank, help us pilot new programs and reach new geographic regions. ING has committed to sponsoring 5,000 bicycles for students over five years. Bicycle distributions in 2014, the project’s second year, included 984 in Indonesia and 590 in the Philippines. Lovelyn lives in a farming village in the rolling rice fields of Northern Isabela, Philippines where dusty dirt roads become muddy during the rainy season. Her bike reduces travel time and increases her ability to focus on school.
“ There is no investment more effective for achieving development goals than educating girls.”
— The World Bank
- - -
Program Spotlight: Economic Development
Our Harare shop now sells hundreds of bicycles a month. This growing demand helps fuel economic development at the community level and allows WBR to continue to invest in creating jobs for assembly workers, bicycle mechanics and building a strong bicycle infrastructure in Zimbabwe.
Phillip Nzeve has been managing our Buffalo Bicycles Shop in Zimbabwe for three years. During May 2014, he sold 365 bicycles – a significant increase when compared to the shop’s five bikes per month average during its opening year in 2009. Since then, Buffalo Bicycles have gained visibility and interest in Zimbabwe, and customers arrive at the shop ready to invest in reliable transportation.

The Palabana Dairy Cooperative in Zambia has been selling Buffalo Bicycles to area dairy farmers for more than three years, distributing 586 bicycles in 2014. Transporting milk to the collection center by bicycle has improved both carrying capacity and quality by keeping milk fresh for delivery. As a result, the co-op has been able to maintain its status as a Grade A milk collection center. Early learnings suggest local dairy farmer successes serve as a catalyst for others in the community to purchase their own Buffalo Bicycle.
“ Since purchasing Buffalo Bicycles I have never failed to deliver milk, not even one day. My workers travel 12km to the collection center and back, two times a day, 365 days a year.”
— Dairy Farmer Georgina Stimbeko has purchased three Buffalo Bicycles since 2011