The Bike Project gets refugees cycling. They do that by donating bikes, but also by teaching some refugees how to cycle.
Living on less than £40 a week, while being prohibited to work, can be difficult – and doubly so for women who often are less likely to cycle than men.
Their Pedal Power program teaches cycling to refugee women in a safe, supportive and empowering environment. With lessons that focus on confidence, road safety and even maintenance, the Pedal Power graduates leave with more than just the ability to cycle.
- 660 women have learned to cycle through the Pedal Power programme since 2014, 95 women in 2022
- Some of the Pedal Power graduates go on to learn bike mechanic skills or become qualified cycling instructors in order to lend their skills to others
You can read more about their impact to the end of 2021 here.
A quote from a Pedal Power graduate: “It helped me to find new friends, and now we are talking about for our problems and we have same experience, and we discuss each other about our experiences. It makes me feel more stronger and confident in myself.”
VAELA set up a team for Ride London Essex in support of The Bike Project in May 2023. Each member of the VAELA team set out to cycle 100 miles and raised just over £8.5K for the charity.
If you are keen to join our team in 2024.. please email us (hello@vaela.cc).
You can also support The Bike Project in a number of ways: you can donate money; donate a bike; or, buy a bike.
