Backroads and World Bicycle Relief Join Forces This Holiday Season to Give Students the Gift of a Bicycle

Active Travel Company Donates More Than $26,000 to World Bicycle Relief’s #GivingTuesday Campaign, Which Aims to Empower One Student Per Minute with Bicycles 

Backroads, the world’s leading active travel company, and World Bicycle Relief are joining together this holiday season to help deliver the power of bikes to students in need. World Bicycle Relief is a global nonprofit distributing high-quality bicycles in developing countries where distance is a barrier. It’s not uncommon for students in rural developing regions to spend four hours walking to and from school. This holiday season Backroads is supporting World Bicycle Relief’s year-end campaign with a donation of more than $26,000 on #GivingTuesday, in which all donations are being matched dollar-for-dollar. The funds raised from this campaign will provide a way forwardfor the students and communities World Bicycle Relief serves in rural parts of Africa. Together with this #GivingTuesday donation, Backroads will have donated more than $75,000 this year to World Bicycle Relief to help people conquer the challenge of distance, achieve independence and thrive—that’s over 500 bicycles to empower those in need. 

On November 28, World Bicycle Relief’s #GivingTuesday campaign aims to empower one student per minute with bicycles—1,400 bikes in total. Backroads will help amplify World Bicycle Relief’s big goal that day by encouraging donations to the organization as holiday gifts. World Bicycle Relief will also be matching all donations between now and December 31.  

Over the past 12 years, World Bicycle Relief has mobilized students who face long and often dangerous journeys to school. When students are provided a way to get to school safely, they’re empowered to stay in school, get an education and break the cycle of poverty. World Bicycle Relief is confident that the power of bicycles can play an influential role in progress for all students, especially girls, in developing countries around the world. 

“For almost 40 years Backroads has been taking guests on bike tours all over the world and introducing them to new cultures and experiences,” said Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale. “We believe in the power of bikes to not only empower people to see and do more, but to also change people’s lives. By supporting World Bicycle Relief this holiday season, we are doing just that.”  

This year’s #GivingTuesday theme is Unity. World Bicycle Relief’s year-end appeal campaign echoes this theme. World Bicycle Relief’s campaign highlights Umoja Secondary School in Eldoret, Kenya, where students of Christian, Muslim and traditional African faiths study together and embody their motto, “Together We Rise.” Umoja means unity in Swahili. 

Through its 2017 #GivingTuesday campaign, World Bicycle Relief hopes to empower many more students like the ones at Umoja Secondary School to follow their educational dreams on two wheels.

“#GivingTuesday is a global day that showcases that we’re all stronger together. That’s what Umoja stands for, too, and it’s also the spirit of partnership,” said World Bicycle Relief’s Business Development Director, Katie Bolling. “We are so grateful toward Backroads and their remarkable support in ensuring that more students can be mobilized through our work.”  

Anyone can give the gift of a World Bicycle Relief bike this holiday season for $147. Other options include a gift of $50 for a toolkit, or $25 for a wheelset. Donations can be made in someone’s name, and World Bicycle Relief will provide a special holiday printed card or an e-card for acknowledgment of the gift. Donate at http://fundraise.worldbicyclerelief.org/Backroads. 

On #GivingTuesday, join World Bicycle Relief in changing the future for thousands of bright, dedicated and passionate students by donating here:

https://worldbicyclerelief.org/en/.

Additional information on Backroads’ Giving Back program can be found at https://www.backroads.com/why/responsible.

World Bicycle Relief – Buffalo Bike

The Buffalo Bicycle is engineered for more tasks, serving as a powerful economic engine in rural communities. The specially designed frame, carrier, and stand of the Buffalo Bicycle provide stability and durability needed to support big loads and passengers over long distances in remote areas. The Buffalo Bicycle is compatible with locally available spare parts, requiring only basic tools for maintenance and repair. WBR operates a Field Mechanic Training Program to help keep the bicycles rolling, using a universal training manual that instructs with pictures and diagrams rather than words. To date, over 375,000 bikes have been distributed and 1,800 field mechanics have been trained, offering riders access to local maintenance.