Bicycles for Health and Development
In the DRC, we don’t have good roads, so many women walk several kilometers to till their lands, fetch water from the rivers, or go to the market to sell their goods.
The big problem is that they carry heavy loads on their backs and heads (e.g. 20 liters of water, 50kg of food from markets or farms, firewood, timber, etc.).
This causes and provokes many illnesses such as chronic low back pain, headaches, and migraine and we even have women who have miscarriages because of this. There are also men and youths, especially those transporting timber and firewood to sell from the Bafuliru mountain, who fall ill after carrying heavy loads, and many of them are admitted in our hospital in Luvungi.
To solve this problem and find a lasting solution, we have launched a bicycle for health and development project, which consists of distributing bicycles to the population of Uvira, especially women and girls, to help them avoid carrying their goods on their backs.
Our aim is to make it easier for them by using bicycles to carry their goods, instead of carrying them on their backs or heads.
With this project, we will reduce poverty, promote women’s small business and agricultural activities, and reduce diseases coming about as a result of strain on the backs or heads.
Our goal is to distribute 1000 bicycles by the end of 2024-2026.
