WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF NFP

The Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program is<strong> </strong>an innovative project&nbsp;providing 50,000 bicycles to increase rural Zambian children's access to school. The children served by BEEP are especially at risk for extreme poverty and high HIV/ AIDS infection rates; safe, reliable transportation to school will enable them to have better health and economic outcomes as a result of completing their secondary education.&nbsp; The program was launched in June 2009 and is planned to be completed in June 2014.

BEEP's ultimate goal is for children to have better health and economic outcomes - to finish their education and be well-placed to make healthy choices, to qualify for good jobs, and to provide for themselves and their families. &nbsp;

In the short term, bicycles will help children travel to school much more quickly than is possible on foot, so they will attend school more regularly, arrive on time, and improve their school performance.&nbsp;

World Bicycle Relief program partners survey participants both before and after bicycles are distributed; statistics on school attendance and performance are collected each term.

Started in 2009, BEEP-Zambia has provided more than 20,000 bicycles to rural students, teachers and school supporters.&nbsp; Surveys of schools and participants in this program consistently find increased school attendance &#8211; on average, 20 percentage points &#8211; and improved school performance for students who receive bicycles.&nbsp; Students and their families also report using their bicycles to haul water, fetch fuel, bring goods to market and transport sick relatives to clinics; before BEEP, all of these daily activities had to be done on foot.&nbsp;

<p>Buffalo Bicycles is a social enterprise, headquartered in Africa, which supplies sturdy bicycles to other non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals; this program is World Bicycle Relief&#8217;s response to market demands.&nbsp; The organization began as a purely non-profit entity, but the market led to a social enterprise model - conditions in Africa required a redesigned bicycle and maintenance infrastructure.&nbsp; Our commitment to quality and to meeting end-users&#8217; needs makes WBR&#8217;s product the best available; our bicycles fill a tremendous market gap, and our infrastructure keeps bicycles working.&nbsp; Demand demonstrates that, while we can assist hundreds of thousands of people by distributing bicycles on a contract-to-own basis, by using a social enterprise model, we can reach millions more. &nbsp;In 2010, for the first time, we sold more bicycles than we donated, and this trend has continued through 2012.</p><p>World Bicycle Relief&#8217;s bicycle is designed, tested and assembled locally with close attention to end-user feedback and rigorous quality control.&nbsp; Typically available bicycles are so poorly made that they do not meet end-users&#8217; needs; for example, the hand brakes are fragile, expensive to repair, and so unreliable as to be unsafe.&nbsp; WBR designed, tested and implemented a component specifically for Africa: a sealed coaster brake hub that protects the braking system from dirt and water, even during rainy season.&nbsp; The result is extremely robust, less expensive, and much safer than hand brakes.&nbsp; Another example: riders in Africa often transport bulky, heavy loads; WBR&#8217;s rear carrier rack holds more than 100kg, and the frame and wheels are heavily reinforced.&nbsp; Bicycle design evolves based on end-user feedback, connecting the consumer at the bottom of the market with designers, manufacturers and suppliers.</p><p>While Buffalo Bicycles does not currently turn a profit, we expect to break even at scale levels achievable in 2013. &nbsp;All profits from bicycle sales will go to our ongoing philanthropic programs; through these combined efforts we can provide many more people with access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles.</p><p>We believe that a social enterprise model will lead to faster development, stronger employee culture, better resource management, and better market feedback. In 2010, we started social enterprises in Zimbabwe and Kenya; each sold thousands of bicycles in the first year, and both are on their way to profitability and brand awareness. This success in replicating high quality assembly, mechanic training, supply chain management, and other market entry issues demonstrates that our model is replicable, scalable, and sustainable.</p>

Ultimately, Buffalo Bicycles will become a thriving, sustainable pan-African bicycle industry that provides quality, affordable bicycles to people at the bottom of the market - people who previously had no meaningful transportation options. &nbsp;With local assembly, spare parts supplies and mechanics training, this industry will be an economic engine providing skills development and employment opportunities for people across the continent. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In the short term, Buffalo Bicycles is already providing skills development and employment opportunities in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where more than 70 people are employed full-time in this business. &nbsp;The robust Buffalo Bicycle provides reliable transportation options to tens of thousands of people who previously walked or used flimsy, unsuitable bicycles for their daily transportation needs.

<p>The Mechanics Training program is one of World Bicycle Relief&#8217;s economic empowerment initiatives, and it supports our efforts to implement a sustainable bicycle transportation infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mechanics training is integrated into any program we run ourselves, and we also offer it as a product to our clients who purchase bicycles for use in their own programs. The goal of the program is to promote the long-term sustainability of bicycle transportation in rural Africa. Even the most robust bicycle needs maintenance, particularly in the harsh conditions of rural Africa; this program ensures that bicycle owners have access to local, qualified maintenance and repair service so they can keep their bicycles in working order.</p> <p>Through the Mechanics Training program, local individuals receive intensive instruction in bicycle assembly, maintenance and repair as well as basic business, marketing and management skills. Each trained mechanic receives a bicycle built during training, a technical manual, a set of high quality bicycle tools, a work uniform, and marketing materials; some mechanics also work with microlenders to establish formal businesses and purchase a stock of spare parts. To date World Bicycle Relief has trained over 750 local field mechanics in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda, effectively launching micro-enterprises across the continent.</p>

Ultimately, we hope that the mechanics we train will become part of a thriving, sustainable pan-African bicycle industry that provides quality, affordable bicycles to people at the bottom of the market - people who previously had no meaningful transportation options. &nbsp;These mechanics will be part of a network of qualified professionals who provide the skilled maintenance and repair services that will keep African bicycles on the road for years to come. &nbsp;

In the short term, mechanics are learning bicycle maintenance and repair along with business skills. &nbsp;These new competencies will help them increase their income&nbsp;and build better lives for themselves and their families.