The problem is common in South Africa. Children and young people have to walk the long way to school because there is no public transport or it is far too expensive. That is why children often do not go to school and do not graduate.
The South African non-governmental organization Sweetbike wants to change that and make it easier for children to go to school every day – with used bicycles. That is environmentally friendly and cheap.
Since March 2019, children have been cycling to class in the coastal town of Ramsgate in the south-east of the country. The bikes come from Europe and were bought there.
So far, Sam Wenger, Ayanda Masengemi and their team have delivered around 2000 bicycles to schools. They in turn rent the bikes to a student for a year. Sweetbike is also training young people to become bicycle mechanics so that they may be able to open their own workshop in the future.
A film by Julia Jaki
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