Changing the world, one pedal at a time

Like many children in Africa, Ethel used to walk more than two hours to school every morning, and back in the evening. That's four hours a day. And she had to do chores around the house before she left! She was often too tired to study well, and the long walks were a bit scary.

That's a reason why millions of children in poorer countries don't go to school at all. There can be many reasons. Often their parents can't afford to send them to class and prefer to put kids to work to make money. Sometimes, parents think it's not safe or not worth it, especially for girls. And sometimes it's because the school is just too far away for people with no buses or trains or cars.

World Bicycle Relief

In the WoW! News app this week, we meet Cindy from World Bicycle Relief. They're idea is to help girls like Ethel by building really tough, quite simple bikes called the "Buffalo" - like the big, tough African animal - and to give them away to people living in remote villages. They hope to give away their millionth bike within a couple of years, and reckon that every bike makes life better for five people in a family.

Ethel loves her Buffalo bike. It's cut her journey to school by over half. Now, she says, she has time and energy to learn: "This bike has changed my life," she says. "I don't worry any more about being tired because I've had to walk so far. I'm a lot less anxious."

And there's more good news. You, too, can help kids like Ethel - just by getting on your bike. World Bicycle Relief organises a pedal-o-thon for the weekend of World Bicycle Day, which falls on Saturday, 23 June in 2023. You can sign up and get yourself sponsored. Time to saddle up, and have fun!

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