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Championing rural access to essential services through World Bicycle Relief’s effective, sustainable models and global collaborations with key stakeholders.

Nearly 1 billion rural people around the world live far from the nearest road, putting education, access to healthcare, key poverty alleviation and opportunity far away and out of reach. Exclusion from many effective economic development and health innovations traps them in generational cycles of poverty. 

Since 2005, World Bicycle Relief has championed rural access by developing effective, low-cost, sustainable models to help provide access to essential services. We work closely with partners, influencers, governments, development agencies, funders, the media and the private sector to change the way systems operate and services are delivered to make them more accessible and impactful. 

How we work

Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, world leaders at a UN Summit adopted 17 goals as part of a new sustainable development agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. 

Mobility is an essential element of development strategies that aim to achieve the SDGs. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are over 600 million people who walk as their main mode of transportation. The lack of efficient, reliable transportation adversely affects economic and social development in regions where distance is a barrier. Connecting individuals to basic needs can help achieve SDGs that benefit these communities.

Overlooked as a development tool, the bicycle can drive global progress. Compared to walking, bicycle riders can carry five times as much cargo in just a quarter of the time. A high-quality bicycle in a developing rural area is a powerful, cross-cutting intervention that immediately improves livelihoods and educational and healthcare outcomes. Buffalo Bicycles are sustainable, affordable, built to last, and can be used by individuals of all ages; they are essential to achieving the SDGs and creating long-term sustainable change in developing countries.

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