Meet Momodou from The Gambia.
Momodou is a thirteen year old Grade 7 student attending Tujereng Upper and Secondary School. He lost his mother and now lives with his father, older sister and a younger brother on a farm growing groundnuts and cassava.
Momodou was given a bike in 2017 as part of Re-Cycle’s school bike project alongside our African partner Wonder Years Centre of Excellence.
Not only did Momodou receive a bike, but he also attended Re-Cycle’s one day workshop, where students are taught how to maintain their bikes and when to take them to the mechanic. This means that students can identify problems before they become expensive to fix allowing their bikes to last longer.
Before, my father gave me fares to and from school but I would be hungry without lunch. Now I have a bike I can use the money given to me by my father as lunch money and my family are very happy.
Now enjoying school, Momodou’s favourite subject is mathematics and he wants to become a teacher when he finishes school.
We aim to improve more lives, like Momodou’s through bicycle re-use.
It’s not uncommon for African children to face a ten kilometre walk to school. This often results in students being exhausted before class has even started. With a bicycle, this journey time can be reduced by 75% so students have more time and energy to focus on their lessons.
Re-Cycle have been partnering with WYCE for the past 10 years. Over this time we have worked together to distribute bikes to thousands of people in communities in The Gambia.
