Bicyles Means Mobility

Maybe the proud faces with their brand-new bikes visiting the village tell more than words?

As an unforeseen consequence of COVID-19, our training team members are now the proud owners of bicycles, since late November 2020. Zahana bought bicycles so they could reach the remote villages for workshops on building improved cookstoves, bio-charcoal production and reforestation. This allows them to travel on their own time and much quicker than on foot.

Private mini buses, the only public mode of transportation in Madagascar, were basically rendered nonexistent for months because of COVID-19 restrictions. In prior reports, we shared that the team had resorted to walking from their town to the villages for the workshops.  Walking not only takes longer but also it leaves them more vulnerable. With bicycles they can reach the villages in a few hours compared to what before took a day or more on foot. Consequently, they can spend more time teaching than traveling. As a safety precaution they only travel in teams of two or more.