Project

Cycling for success

This innovative pilot programme in 2 PEAS Zambia schools delivered 240 bikes to provide children with safer, faster and more convenient travel to school.

Zambia’s Free Education Policy has opened doors for millions more young people to attend secondary school, but many students face exhausting journeys on foot, arriving at school drained of energy and unable to concentrate. Even worse, safety concerns and the risk of sexual harassment disproportionately discourage girls from pursuing secondary education.

PEAS, with generous funding from the Costa Foundation, has partnered with World Bicycle Relief to create Cycling for Success, a pilot travel programme to help the most marginalised day students reduce their travel time and feel safer on their journey to school. 240 rugged Buffalo Bicycles have been given to those who travel more than 3 kilometres to school, with 60% of them allocated to girls.

Over a 12-month period, this programme aims to increase student attendance and rates of retention, improve safety, boost self-confidence and provide more time for studying, thereby enhancing learning outcomes over the long term, Similar programmes have seen absenteeism reduce by 28% and girls were 19% less likely to drop out of school.

We look forward to bringing your more updates on this amazing programme soon.