Siaya students receive bike donations

Over 180 students from Ndigwa secondary school, Siaya County have received free bicycles from World Vision in a program targeted at donating 3,000 bicycles valued at Ksh 60million to over 6,000 students in Rural Kenya.

World Bicycle Relief – Kenya Country Director Mr. Dick Waswa said the initiative dubbed Bicycles for Education Empowerment Program (BEEP) in partnership with the World Bicycle Relief and  the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology – which was first introduced in Africa through Zambia in 2009 – was necessitated by the high rate of students’ drop out due to long distances covered to and from schools.

Waswa added that studies have shown than a number of students in rural areas often walk for upto 15 kilometers to school on a daily basis leading to absenteeism and exhaustion which eventually culminates to withdrawal from school.

He said that BEEP particularly seeks to improve retention of girls in school and to improve safety and security of students in day schools.

Waswa said during the first phase of the initiative, 3,000 Buffalo brand bicycles will be distributed to schools in Siaya, Uasin Gishu and Kakamega counties between June and October this year but after two years of usage of the bicycles, the beneficiaries will be allowed to fully own them.

The occasion was attended by the national director World Vision Dickens Thunde, and Siaya Governor’s wife Rosela Rasanga.