Every kilometer is an obstacle on the way to a better life. Whether it is everyday errands or access to education, health centers and job opportunities: In remote regions of Tanzania, long distances often create insurmountable hurdles. For families from rural areas and economically difficult circumstances, mobility can make a decisive difference.
The «Bikes for Changemakers» project is a collaboration between Velafrica, ABC Impact and Mainsprings. The project provides so-called «changemaker families» in the Lake Victoria region with two bikes each, including access to service and maintenance.
«Changemaker families» are families with young children affected by generational poverty: Poverty is passed on from generation to generation.
In order to break free from the poverty loop, family members need access to education and training opportunities, healthcare and access to the job market and economic activities.
The bicycles increase the families’ mobility and enable them to cover the distance between their homes and the Mainsprings-run campuses in Kitongo and Kahunda more quickly. Each campus includes a primary and secondary school, a regenerative agriculture farm, a health center, playgrounds and facilities for training and visitors.
You can find out more about the project in this video portrait on YouTube.
Click on this link for more information about the work of Mainsprings and the «changemaker families».
Bicycles for healthcare staff
In addition to the «changemaker families», the project also provided the healthcare staff at the Kitnong Health Center with six bicycles. The bikes enable them to make home visits to sick people, for example. «Getting to the hospital used to be a struggle. I had to walk. Now I can reach patients quickly by bike,» says one employee.
Facts & figures
Project active since October 2023
Project country Tanzania
Project partners ABC Impact, Mainsprings
Bikes distributed 96 bikes to «changemaker families», 6 bikes to healthcare staff (November 2024)
Beneficiaries 78% female, 98% had no own means of transportation beforehand and 49% had no access to any means of transportation.
Made possible thanks to private donors and institutions
Sustainable Development Goals
The «Bikes for Changemakers» project has a direct impact on the following United Nations SDGs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13.
