Wheels of Change - Bicycle to Education and to Empowerment
“The bicycle has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world” - Susan B. Anthony
Current situation:
Certain Talukas in the Districts of Ahmednagar, Beed and Latur in the State of Maharashtra have consistently shown worsening trends of girls dropping out of schools post middle school due to distance, safety, and commuting time concerns. When girls are not in school, the chances of them being subjected to under-age marriages is high and they are deprived of higher education, sustainable livelihood options and economic self sufficiency.
Objective of “Wheels of Change” Program:
Rural areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and certain parts of Maharashtra have shown that bicycles have facilitated girls’ access to schools, reduced their daily commute time, and provided enhanced security as girls travel together in small groups. A low cost, decentralized intervention of creating a bicycle bank through local high schools and Gram Panchayats has proven to improve the gender ratio in rural high schools by almost 50% and girls’ continuation to higher education by almost 40%. Girls with high school education have seen to continue with college education and secure sustainable livelihood options, among other benefits.
Once the girl students graduate from high schools and if they no longer need the bicycles, they will be asked to return those to the respective high schools in order to pass those bicycles on to the next batch of girl students.
Fundraising Objective:
Current Goal: Create a Bicycle Bank of 1,000 bicycles in 2023.
Funds Needed: $100 per Bicycle, Total of $100,000.
NO OVERHEAD OR ADMINISTRATION CHARGES WILL BE DEDUCTED. 100% OF YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF BICYCLES.
This project will be replicated in other rural areas of Maharashtra and other States in India after the 1st phase of 1,000 Bicycles Bank.
Location:
Certain select Talukas in the Districts of Ahmednagar, Beed and Latur in the State of Maharashtra, India.
Key Partners:
Jhep Foundation – an NGO co-founded by Reshma Sambare (who is also the Founding President of South Asian Women’s Association). Jhep will oversee and implement the bicycle banks through the partnerships with government high schools and Gram Panchayats.
SAMYAK – an NGO in Pune that is actively involved in programming, capacity building, research, resource development, and campaigns on violence against women and girls in the state of Maharashtra in India.
Comprehensive Rural Health Program (CRHP) – CRHP has been working among the rural poor for over 50 years to eliminate injustices through integrated efforts in health and development. CRHP has local presence and knowledge of the rural areas in which this first phase of the Project is going to be implemented.