Improving Lives with Bicycles
21 April 2011
Lately I've been collecting links to organizations that recognize that in developing countries bicycles can be an essential tool for helping lift a community from poverty. In North America, we take the bicycle for granted - first its a children's toy, then it becomes a "lifestyle choice" or "accessory" for adults. But in so many parts of the world, a bike can mean the difference between getting an education or getting married, whether or not a family gets clean water, if a doctor or nurse can visit, or if enough food can be produced from the fields to feed a village.
Mobility in low infrastructure areas is a fundamental challenge of breaking the cycle of poverty. The organizations below, in various ways, are taking on that challenge using bicycles as a foundation for change in these areas. "It was something spectacular to have a bicycle!" World Bicycle Relief (Link) 88 Bikes (Link) Maya Pedal (Link) The Bicycle City / Pedal for Progress (Link) With My Own Two Wheels (Link) |