Thanks to your support we can continue to change the lives of remarkable people overcoming challenges that on this side of the globe are often unimaginable.

There is more to a simple bicycle than you think – it can mean the difference between a teacher walking for miles on foot to reach her classroom or a farmer having easier transport to sell his produce at the market.

A simple bicycle is a helping hand to individuals working their way out of extreme poverty.

In Kitale in Kenya, the World of Work (WOW) centre is transforming lives and empowering poor communities, especially local youth, with the skills and training to make something of themselves and provide for their families.

Here are some stories that are testament to the power of solidarity:

Joseph

Joseph’s story starts on the street, like many marginalised young people in Kenya, Joseph had no guidance or support placing him, like many street youths, in vulnerable and precarious situations.

Joining WOW not only gave him the encouragement and support needed to make something of himself – the bicycle became a living symbol of that change!

At the time of the donation and delivery of the IJI bicycles the WOW team got a mechanic to come and service the bikes. Joseph assisted the mechanic in the work and expressed an interest in learning more.

Since finishing the first six-month phase of the WOW programme, Joseph has now begun an apprenticeship with a man who sells, repairs and services bikes!

Aaron

Like Joseph, Aaron’s story is similar, his journey begins as a street youth. WOW opened doors for training and new opportunities and following his initial 6 months of the programme he was housed and later graduated from the programme.

Soon after, Aaron began his apprenticeship training as a motor vehicle mechanic pathing the way to a future career for himself.

The house where Aaron stays is over 5km from where his workplace is, as you can imagine, commuting had been a real challenge but with a bicycle the burden of travel is managed.

The bike also helps with his work directly too as from time to time with vehicle breakdowns he has to travel away from the garage to rescue stranded customers.

The humble bicycle makes a huge difference to marginalized communities burdened unfairly by poverty and through support like yours, we can continue to share stories like these!

Thank you for supporting young people like Joseph and Aaron who have overcome tough beginnings.

Their stories alone show there is more to a bicycle than we think!

You can do something amazing for #WorldBicycleDay & gift a marginalised person with a bike, visit: www.iji.ie/gifts 

To find out more about WOW, read our blog post: here