D'informations sur la Re ~ Cycle en français

Re~Cycle is a UK charity committed to providing cheap, sustainable transport in Africa. We believe that bicycles offer poor people the best means to improve their lives, giving them opportunities to travel to work and school. They can also be adapted to carry goods and passengers giving small scale farmers and traders the opportunity to reach customers further afield. They are also an invaluable resource for traveling health workers coping with the AIDS epidemic.

Heavily loaded in Malawi

We receive unwanted bikes from individuals and organisations such as the Royal Mail. These are checked over and prepared for shipment before being loaded into containers (approx. 400 each time) and sent to our various partner organisations in Africa. There, they are refurbished before being distributed by our African partners. Many of our partners also teach repair and maintenance skills.

Major African Beneficiaries

In rural Africa where there is no public transport, people have to walk long distances to access education, health care or employment. For many people, a bicycle can be a first step out of poverty and towards a better life.

• Children, who often walk long distances each way to school
• Outreach workers, e.g. medical personnel, agricultural advisors
• Women, whose day often has multiple journeys, e.g. fetching water, work, creche
• Commuters and farm workers, taking goods to market

UK Benefits

Re~Cycle has many benefits in the UK, including;

• Training in basic bike maintenance
• Reducing waste and landfill
• Providing opportunities for a wide variety of volunteers to help with preparing and loading containers
• Brain injury and mental illness rehabilitation volunteer opportunities in a safe and supportive environment

Adapting Cycle Technology

Re~Cycle has a fantastic trailer design made from unwanted bike parts and cheap materials. Overseas, partners manufacture the XtraBike, a simple device that greatly increases the load capacity of a bike. This makes bikes suitable for many tasks including fetching water, taking goods to market, mobile vendors, and collecting recyclables. The potential for turning a discarded bicycle into a labour saving, job-creating tool for change is enormous. Re~Cycle sells a fantastic 'Western version' in the UK, to raise funds.

Overcoming Barriers To Cycling in Africa

• Cost; bikes cost money so micro-credit helps. Many people pay 1/4 of their income on transport
• Safety; mostly a question of driver awareness
• Gender Barriers; it is hard for women to ride bikes in some countries, with reasons including 'un-lady like', reducing fertility and ability to have affairs. The short answer is that when incomes go up, these 'barriers' fall off

We've a short film made in 2004 about Re~Cycle on YouTube

Downloads:

• What we do (.pdf)
• How we work (.ppt)

You can join our Facebook group to show your support

Follow @bicyclecharity