World Bicycle Relief Announces Its July Campaign Wheels in the Field: Zambia, The Next Generation

CHICAGO - July 6, 2017 - PRLog -- Today, World Bicycle Relief announced Wheels in the Field: Zambia,The Next Generation, its July campaign to raise funds and provide life-changing bicycles for students in need. All funds raised in July, up to $240,000, will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of generous supporters that include Backroads, Thomson Reuters, and individual donors.

Over four million children live in poverty in Zambia and over 375,000 children in rural regions are not enrolled in school. Many factors contribute to children not attending school. For rural students, a common and significant barrier to accessing education is distance; students often face long, exhausting walks over difficult terrain. For girl students, who are also required to perform hours of domestic chores in the morning, a long walk proves even more challenging. Students often arrive late and tired and academic performances suffer, if they manage to stay in school at all.

Access to a high quality bicycle dramatically changes educational outcomes. A 2012 Education Report highlighted a 28% increase in student attendance and a 59% increase academic performance. World Bicycle Relief has delivered over 50,000 bicycles to students in Zambia since 2009.

Belita is a student in Zambia who received her bicycle in 2012. Before receiving her bicycle, she woke at 5am to walk 10km round-trip to school. Even skipping morning chores didn't always help her arrive to school on time. Belita dreaded the slap on her wrist in front of the whole class, her punishment for being late. Just one year later, Belita was riding to school and arriving on time every day, helping her grandmother with chores and thriving in school. Belita has plans to attend nurses' training college.

"We have seen first hand the immediate impact the bicycles have on students- especially girl students who are able to complete their domestic chores and still get to school on time with the help of a bicycle," said Dave Neiswander, President of World Bicycle Relief. "With the simple addition of a high quality bicycle, students can stay focused on their school work and achieve their educational goals.  We are dedicated to helping this next generation of Zambian students access education and become leaders and change-makers within their communities and beyond."

Help spread the word. Sign up to fundraise. Share our Wheels in the Field: Zambia, The Next Generation campaign on social media. Together, we can reach our goal of providing 3,200 more bicycles and brighter futures for the next generation of Zambian students. Together, we can make a difference.

To get involved, visit: https://worldbicyclerelief.org/next-generation

About World Bicycle Relief:

Founded in 2005, World Bicycle Relief mobilizes people through The Power of Bicycles®. World Bicycle Relief accomplishes its mission by distributing specially designed, high-quality bicycles through philanthropic and social enterprise programs. These purpose designed bicycles are built to withstand the challenging terrain and conditions in rural, developing areas. Entrepreneurs use the bicycles to increase productivity and profits. Students attend class more regularly and improve their academic performances. And, health care workers visit more patients in less time, providing better, more consistent care. World Bicycle Relief also promotes local economies and long-term sustainability by assembling bicycles locally and training field mechanics to service the bicycles. To date, World Bicycle Relief has delivered over 350,000 bicycles and trained over 1,600 field mechanics in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America. World Bicycle Relief is a registered nonprofit in the USA, Canada, U.K., Germany and Australia, and has assembly facilities in Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Angola.

For more information, please visit: http://worldbicyclerelief.org

Follow us @PowerOfBicycles and Like us at facebook.com/worldbicyclerelief

World Bicycle Relief Media Contact:

Global/USA Inquiries

Brooke Slezak

brooke@brookeslezak.com

press@worldbicyclerelief.org

Mobile: 917.689.6024