Bicycles to Improve School Attendance in Thamsanqa Secondary School

Not so long ago, Ntswaki Mokoena 15 years, was one of more than 500 000 school-going children who walk more than two hours each way to school, spending four hours on the road each day. Based in Orange Farm, Gauteng, the busiest province in South Africa, the 14 year-old girl has not been performing well at school as she would sometimes miss subject periods. “I’ve been spending close to two hours coming to school daily. This has been a challenge because sometimes when it rains, I would have to wait for the rain to stop before I can leave home,” she said.

However all this is now history, Ntswaki is one of about 100 learners from Thamsanqa secondary school in Orange Farm who benefited from the Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme (BEEP) - rolled out by World Vision South Africa, World Vision Switzerland and Qhubeka, a World Bicycle Relief local partner.

The handover followed an official launch of BEEP in October 2013, which saw 250 bicycles delivered to learners from New Orleans and Charleston Hill Secondary Schools in the Paarl district, Western Cape. “We’re thrilled to rollout BEEP to our second group of children in a matter of weeks. As an organisation we have no doubt we can make an immediate difference to school attendance as well as improve children’s wellbeing with safe, reliable and affordable transportation such as bicycles,” comments Paula Barnard, national director of World Vision SA.

Key to the success of BEEP in communities such as Orange Farm is a systematically executed and supported rollout of the bicycles. Bicycles aren’t simply handed over but include service-to-own contracts; and local bicycle field mechanics are trained to service and maintain the bicycles. The two-year service-to-own contract states that the students must attend school faithfully and timely. The bicycles are sturdy, high quality Buffalo Bicycles provided by Qhubeka. Spare parts will also be original Buffalo Bicycle to ensure the bicycles are maintained and enjoy longevity. This initiative will go a long way to address many of the challenges facing children in Orange Farm.