Collection & Recycling
Every year, we collect about 35’000 bicycles. Around 300 collection points receive donated bikes all through the year. Additionally, there are collection events and bicycle pick-ups. Donate your bicycle here and get information on how to organize a bike collection yourself.
Integration & Commitment
More than 40 social enterprises, transport companies and institutions in the correctional system help to bring donated bicycles from the collection points to the workshops, where they are repaired according to Velafrica’s quality standards. In Bern Liebefeld we manage a fully operational bicycle workshop for volunteers. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday evening.
Export
Every year, we export more than 25’000 bicycles to Africa. Every week one container is being loaded with bikes and thousands of spare parts. Tubes, wheels and chains are in high demand from our partners.
Social entrepreneurship
We supply to nine locally rooted business partners in seven countries – four bike shops in West Africa and five bicycle hubs in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Madagascar and South Africa. Our business partners are creating jobs in the workshop, in sales and in admin.
Vocational training
We specifically promote the vocational training of bicycle mechanics, both male and female, in order to improve the prospects of young people and to ensure a long-term use of exported bicycles. You want to support our vocational training program with a donation?
Mobility
With a bicycle you are four times faster and you can transport three times as many goods as by foot. A bike enables access to jobs, to school or to healthcare centers. Velafrica’s programmes like «Bike to School» specifically target the support of bicycle mobility.
