In 2019, Ruth stepped into a Buffalo Bicycles retail shop in Mumbwa, Zambia, to buy spokes, a hub and a rim. 

She had just completed her secondary education but hadn’t yet found a job. Interested in bicycles, she inquired about a position at the shop. Unfortunately, the shop manager told her, there were no openings.

Ruth stepped outside, new purchases in hand, and quickly laced the wheel. 

The shop manager watched as she finished in record time, and convinced that Ruth would be an asset to World Bicycle Relief, recommended she be hired as a bicycle assembler in the Zambia assembly facility – the first female in that position.

Assemblers build and deliver our rugged Buffalo Bicycles, honing their skills in specialized areas of the production and becoming experts on specific components. Knowledge and best practices are shared between facilities, creating the spread of innovation from team to team. We listen to their feedback and are able to produce a better bicycle for the people who need them most.

“I know everything,“ says Ruth. “I know the bicycle completely.” 

Building a sustainable bicycle infrastructure in the regions where we work ensures that our bicycles and programs create a lasting impact for the people we serve.

It also helps us find talented employees like Ruth, who now supports her community while supporting herself.  

Several years after joining Zambia’s assembly facility, Ruth was promoted and now works as a senior shop assistant in one of the busiest Buffalo Bicycles shops in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. Apart from selling Buffalo Bicycles and spare parts, she also offers her expert technical support to customers in need of bicycle maintenance and repairs.

“As soon as you learn how to assemble bicycles, you can never go wrong,” Ruth says.