David North (Good Travel Management) applied to the Foundation for a championing grant of £525 to fund the cost of three bicycles for charity Qhubeka – a charity operating Africa that moves people forward with bicycles.
People earn bicycles through their programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs. A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, to generate income and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level –helping people to get where they need to go.
Qhubeka is a Nguni word that means “to progress”, “to move forward”. Bicycles help people move forward. Bicycles help people to change their lives. They are an accessible, reliable, affordable form of personal transport.
The Charity doesn’t just supply bicycles to the people who qualify for the programme, they have a full 360 approach:
- Qhubeka’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Real Bicycle Co. (RBC) designs and manufactures the Qhubeka Bicycles that are distributed into our various programmes.
- They operate bicycle assembly facilities, which creates work and training opportunities for people in local communities in which these facilities operate.
- Qhubeka trains mechanics in the communities in which we work. This creates economic opportunity for the mechanics, who are trained in repairing bicycles and basic business skills. Training mechanics ensures the long-term sustainability of Qhubeka programmes.
- Qhubeka, together with their partners, provides safety training to bicycle beneficiaries prior to them receiving their bicycles. This ensures beneficiaries have an understanding of basic bicycle and road safety.
- They also build the bicycle spare part supply chain to ensure that bicycle mechanics and communities are able to access parts for repair and maintenance, ensuring the bicycles remain in use.
For more information about Qhubeka, check out their website.