FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Valerie Kirn-Duensing
Traverse Bay Sunrise Rotary Club
Rotary Club of Traverse Bay Sunrise Launches Bike Share Project in Malawi
TRAVERSE CITY, MI, October 20, 2021 – Thanks to the Rotary Club of Traverse Bay Sunrise in Traverse City, Michigan, 220 high school students in Malawi, Africa, have a new Bike Share Program in place that provides a bicycle to ride to school each day. The overall goal of the project is to increase the graduation rate of students, especially girls, which currently stands at 7% in Malawi. A secondary objective of the Bike Share Project is to teach students how to care for and repair their bicycles through formal instruction from trained bicycle mechanics.
The Sunrise Club has been working in Malawi in partnership with Warm Hearts Foundation, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, based nonprofit with offices in Malawi and Kenya. In 2016, 2017 and 2019 club members traveled to the Mangochi District of Malawi to build two secondary-level schools and scout for new project ideas. The idea for the Bike Share Project came from the students themselves who stated one of the main reasons they struggle to graduate is the great distance many of them have to walk to attend school each day. After doing a bit of research the Sunrise Club discovered many students walk 3 to 5 or sometimes 9 miles one way as there is no public transportation system and almost no private forms of transportation to assist them. The effect on student attendance, energy level, and safety is profound - especially for girls who must sometimes walk alone in the dark.
Two other Rotary Clubs became involved in the Bike Share Project, as well. The Rotary Club of Elk Rapids, Michigan, and the Rotary Club of Limbe, Malawi. A fifth project partner was Norte, a youth-focused cycling organization in Traverse City.
In total, $44,600 was raised to purchase 220 bicycles, spare parts and repair tools that were divided among four schools in the Mangochi District. Two adults were also selected to receive formal bicycle repair training and establish entrepreneurial repair businesses. In return, these individuals will work with students on a weekly basis, teaching them how to care for and repair their bikes.
Approximately $10,000 was received from Rotary District Grants. Success will be measured by attendance during the 2021-22 school year which began in July. Thus far, the project appears to be exceeding expectations and it is anticipated that an additional 36 bicycles will be added to the fleet.
For more information on the Traverse Bay Sunrise Rotary Club, visit www.tcsunriserotary.org.