As part of our #Joburg2Kili expedition we are raising funds for Qhubeka, which is the World Bicycle Relief’s non-profit organisation in South Africa. Qhubeka is an Nguni word that means “to carry on”, “to progress”, “to move forward” which is exactly what they aim to do by giving bicycles in return for work done to improve communities, the environment or academic results.

SO HOW DO BICYCLES CHANGE LIVES?

Here are a few facts from Qhubeka:

• A child’s commute time to school is reduced by up to 75% with a bicycle
• A bicycle increases a person’s carrying capacity by five times
• Healthcare workers can visit more than double the amount of patients per day with a bicycle
• Marks improve by an average of 25% for children who ride a bicycle to school
• Schools where children ride bicycles see attendance rates rise by 18% on average

In essence, having a bicycle changes lives by increasing the distance people can travel, what they can carry, where they can go and how fast they can get there. To learn more about how #bicycleschangelives take a look at this video: