With the recent launch of our work in Tanzania, we wanted to hear from you. Watch World Bicycle Relief’s Tanzania Country Manager Amina Levi Mgeni and Program Manager Delphina Reuben answer your questions about operations in our newest program country.
Tanzania was chosen because of its potential and the opportunities in the country. Access to healthcare is a significant challenge, students walk long distances to school, and farmers and small business owners struggle to get their goods to market.
The Tanzanian Ministry of Health turned to World Bicycle Relief to support their initiative to mobilize more healthcare workers, and we saw the chance to also impact other sectors as well.
There is demand for bicycles in the communities, and World Bicycle Relief will help resolve mobility challenges throughout the country.
The government of Tanzania estimates that 85% of the population lives in rural areas, engaging in agricultural and all land-related activities.
The bicycle is the best transportation option for those in the rural communities. This is especially true for women, who have multiple responsibilities to their families, monitoring finances and feeding them. The bicycle’s maintenance is also low cost and therefore affordable and accessible to the majority of rural Tanzanians.
We started with the health sector – particularly community health workers – because of the great job that they are doing in the communities and the support we received from the Ministry of Health. Community health workers are game changers because they help the government and other partners reach all the clients. Community health workers travel long distances to ensure that they reach all their clients, and they do whatever they can to make sure they provide health services to their communities.
During the bicycle distribution, what I saw was really overwhelming: They are excited, and most of them don’t even have words to describe the feeling of receiving the bicycles. From their facial expressions, from the body language, you will see that it was something really significantly changing their lives. It’s a good surprise that most of them didn’t expect to receive.
Tanzania is mostly paternal. So it’s inspiring to see that World Bicycle Relief’s Tanzania team is led by a woman. It is inspiring for girls, young women, mothers, but even for men that strong women are leaders. We’ve even seen support from men who are traditional who are ready to be supported and even sit down and have a conversation with women. I’m happy to be a part of the Tanzania leadership team.
Even the most robust bicycle needs maintenance. Each Buffalo Bicycle comes with a small toolkit and a pump for basic maintenance; to ensure that bicycle owners have access to local, qualified repair service, World Bicycle Relief has also developed a Mechanics Training Program to accompany distribution in all of the countries where we operate, including Tanzania. Mechanics are trained in bicycle assembly, maintenance and repair as well as basic business, marketing and management skills. Each trained mechanic receives a set of high quality tools. World Bicycle Relief has trained over 3,500 local mechanics.
The initial focus will be in the following target regions: Tanga, Pwani, Lindi, Kagera, Geita, Kigoma, Tabora, Mbeya, Songwe, Njombe and Mwanza.
When determining program locations and bicycle recipients, World Bicycle Relief’s team assesses the need, demographics, partnership opportunities, and opportunity for growth. Key considerations include: distance challenges; potential for impact; viable cycling culture/bicycle ecosystem; and potential for social enterprise, which would support long-term growth and impact in the community.
Still have questions? Reach out to us at info@worldbicyclerelief.org!
