Wheels of hope: A bicycle is truly life-changing

NewsPublished on: Nov 9 2026

Girls’ education is one of the most powerful investments we can make in the future. Yet 95% of girls from the most disadvantaged communities in rural Africa never complete secondary school.

These girls face a complex web of challenges, and the distance from home to school is a common barrier to education that needs to be overcome.

Many learners in rural communities face long, exhausting, and unsafe journeys to school. Some children leave home before dawn and walk for hours through isolated areas — exposed to harsh weather, dangerous terrain, and safety risks — before they even reach the classroom.

A bicycle can help change that. By making journeys to school safer, faster and more reliable, bicycles can help girls get to class, stay in school and focus on learning.

Together, World Bicycle Relief and CAMFED are excited to announce a new partnership, made possible by a $5 million commitment from Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) founder and Chair Sir Christopher Hohn with ongoing support from CIFF, to help make journeys to school safer for girls in Kenya and Malawi.

This initiative will support the government’s efforts to ensure every child has access to education.

Bright Msaka, Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Malawi

In Kajiado, Kenya, our partnership with the County Department of Education in Kajiado and World Bicycle Relief is already transforming journeys to school and learning. To date, 1,390 bicycles have been distributed to students across 40 partner schools and their mentors (CAMFED graduates trained as Learner Guides). While the program will support 3,750 girls and young women in Kenya, boys are also benefiting, receiving 11% of the bicycles distributed. Further bicycles are planned for distribution, helping even more students access education.

In Malawi, the program will distribute 17,450 bicycles across 17 districts, reaching girls at secondary school level, CAMFED Association members, Learner Guides and Core Trainers. To date, over 6,000 bicycles have been distributed. For girls, access to a bicycle means less time spent walking to and from school, greater safety and confidence on the journey, improved attendance, and more energy and time for learning.

An investment in the future of Malawi’s children

Distance remains a major barrier to education in rural Malawi, with long and unsafe journeys contributing to lateness, absenteeism and school dropout, particularly among girls.

Joyce, a student who currently travels 10 kilometres to and from school and who is set to receive a bicycle, said it will enable her to arrive at school early, return home in good time and have more time and energy to dedicate to her studies.

These bicycles are more than just a means of transport — they are an investment in the future of Malawi’s children.

We can now easily reach learners and schools. This is truly life-changing. The bicycles will help ease movement as we travel to schools and communities to support, mentor, and encourage learners, especially in areas where transport is a challenge. These bicycles will save time, reduce the burden of long distances, and enable us to carry out our responsibilities more effectively.

Nancy Reison, CAMFED Association Chairperson, Kenya

Women leaders going further

This partnership is about more than distributing bicycles. For members of the CAMFED Association of women leaders educated with CAMFED support, bicycles are strengthening something equally powerful: their ability to lead.

In Kenya and Malawi, CAMFED Association members travel across communities to mentor learners and provide support to girls navigating barriers to education. With bicycles, they can reach more schools, support more learners, and deepen their impact across communities.

The partnership will also create opportunities for CAMFED Association members to develop bicycle-mechanic and entrepreneurship skills — opening new pathways to income, and enabling them to be on hand in the community for repairs and maintenance.

By significantly reducing travel time, the bicycles will reduce absenteeism and fatigue while giving learners more time to study, rest, and participate fully in school life.

As bicycles rolled out across Kenya and Malawi, so too did dreams, confidence, and new possibilities. Each bicycle represents far more than mobility. It represents a girl staying in school, a parent breathing easier, a mentor reaching one more learner, and a community moving one step closer to a brighter future.

These are not just bicycles. They are wheels of hope.