My name is F.K. Day. I am an activist.

When we started World Bicycle Relief, we hoped that bicycles could help rebuild a nation. Now, four years and more than 50,000 new bicycles later, we know for certain that they can increase access to health care, education and economic development for the poorest of the poor. The bicycle is a tool that helps create opportunity through saved time and productivity.

Drawing on 20 years of bicycle industry knowledge as a co-founder of SRAM Corporation, I make sure each of our comprehensive projects includes several key components that help ensure success. We are intimately involved in the design, sourcing and manufacturing of the bicycles to ensure they are culturally appropriate to the regions we serve and meet or exceed the needs of the end users. At the very least, we incorporate local assembly, and include integrated delivery to get the bicycles to the people who need them most.

For every 50 bicycles we put into the field, we train a local field mechanic in maintenance and repair to support upkeep. These five days of specialized training include more than bike work: Each of the mechanics receives two days of entrepreneurial skills training, enabling them to more effectively run their maintenance business. We also work to strengthen the existing base of spare parts that are available.

Finally, we are committed to measuring and evaluating our projects, improving where we can and communicating the impact of bicycles and transportation to governments and non-government organizations so they can use bicycles as tools to empower the lives of people in their communities.

How does it all add up? In partnership with World Vision, the largest relief organization in the world, we provided 24,400 bicycles to men, women and children in Sri Lanka. We then began work in the African nation of Zambia, providing 23,000 bicycles to volunteer, community-based caregivers who are part of a World Vision-led consortium taking the fight against HIV/AIDS deep into the rural communities. These bikes are provided on a two-year, work-to-own basis. The project has also trained more than 450 field mechanics now in business for themselves.

We have also launched pilot programs in microfinance, providing several thousand bicycles to businessmen and -women using existing market structures to continue to build the economic engine. And in partnership with the Ministry of Education and other relief organizations, we have designed a cutting-edge program to field nearly 50,000 new bicycles as part of an initiative to provide transportation to children in the poorest school districts in Zambia.

A US donation purchases a complete bicycle, and contributions of any amount make a difference in someone’s life. We had no idea when we started four years ago that something that seemed so simple—what could be more basic than a bicycle?—would have such a huge impact on fighting disease and poverty and supporting children in education. Now, it’s all I can do to keep from screaming about it at the top of my voice every chance I get.

F.K. Day
President, World Bicycle Relief
worldbicyclerelief.org