ZAMBIA

The Kaloko Trust - Community Bicycle Transport Project

In its early days, Re~Cycle donated a small number of bicycles to top up two containers that were going out to the Kaloko Trust with other things.  In May 2009 we sent the first full container load of bikes to the new bike project supported by The Kaloko Trust (including bike number 30,000!), parts and tools. They've set up two workshops and the mechanics were trained up by a volunteer who stayed out there for 3 months.

The project went very well and we sent a second shipment in 2010 of bicycles that were collected by Romsey Test and other local Rotary Clubs followed by a third shipment in April 2011 with the next sent in April 2012. They have requested that we send them 2 shipments in 2013 which reflects the growth of the project, fueled by the popularity of the bicycles we send.

Project Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries will be the more than 300 households who will purchase the 400 bicycles at a reasonable cost. Locally there is an average of 8 members per household; therefore the project will directly benefit at least 2,400 people.

Subsequently the revolving fund will continue to have a direct impact on 2,400 people each container as further containers of second–hand bicycles, or other equipment, are brought over.

A second group of beneficiaries will be women, who often carry heavy sacks of produce on their backs over long distances to market. The use of a bicycle will alleviate this burden. Kaloko Trust has an established reputation for positively supporting women in development and this project will deliberately include the targeting of households headed by women.

The third group of beneficiaries will be the children attending the local schools. Many of the children are either too young, or live too far away, to walk to school and back each day and bicycles will enable them to access school more easily.

Four school leavers will be trained in basic bicycle repairs and assisted in setting up two commercial workshops.

Read more about The Kaloko Trust's Bicycle Project here