On Friday 26 September, another 250 school children in Orange Farm received brand new Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycles through the Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme (BEEP), in partnership with World Vision SA.
Currently, 50% of school children in Orange Farm walk the entire route from home to school, with an average trip taking 40 minutes each way (which for an average child means they walk over 3km to school and back each day). These Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycles will help the children to get to school on time as riding instead of walking cuts down a child’s commute time by up to 75%.
Orange Farm is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s largest informal settlements and houses at least 10% of Johannesburg’s residents. There are over 1 million residents, of which 70% are estimated to live on less than R10.00 or $1 a day. Most households earn less than R5 000 ($500) a month yet spend between R500 and R1 000 ($50 to $100) on transport each month.
A sea of yellow Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycles stand waiting for their new owners.
World Vision SA is Qhubeka’s implementation partner for BEEP.
Each child who receives a Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycle also receives a helmet, a pump, a lock and a bicycle tool.
World Vision volunteers stand ready to hand over the bicycles to their excited new owners.
That smile says exactly how most kids feel about receiving their new bicycles.
There’s nothing like the feeling of your first ride on your own bicycle.
Paula Barnard (National Director, World Vision SA), ensures helmets are securely fitted before letting recipients ride home.
A TV crew from ANN7 interviews one of the children about his new bicycle.
Each child who receives a Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycles earns the bicycles through our study2own programme. This means prior to accepting the bicycle, children sign a contract with World Vision and the school committing to increasing their school attendance over a period of two years in exchange for keeping the bicycle.
We love seeing the joy of recipients as they experience the freedom a bicycle can bring.
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