Improvements in primary education (between the ages of 6 and 13) address poverty and food insecurity in the long term by targeting the root problems of a lack of access to education in rural communities. Improving access to education will allow impoverished individuals to:

• Become informed about nutrition and health, so they are better able to care for themselves and their households.
• Become capable of understanding and using new technologies that improve agricultural yields
• Obtain higher-paying jobs

Special attention must be given to decreasing the gender gap in education. Women’s education affects nearly every dimension of development, from lowering fertility rates to raising productivity and improving environmental management. Yet in most countries we see a gender gap in education, with fewer girls enrolled in school and dropping out before graduation.

Meanwhile, in rural parts of northern Uganda, children often walk more than 10 kilometers every day to attend primary school. They leave early in the morning and return after sundown, making the journey to school significantly more dangerous. Many children have given up studying in order to assist in the farming of their household land or other daily chores.

Bicycles decrease travel time by 10 fold, and are a much safer alternative, particularly if traveling alone.  Bicycles Against Poverty has supported over 1,000 families in northern Uganda and continues to improve and increase access to both primary and secondary education. A single bicycle can change a family’s standard of living by facilitating access to proper education, leading to the advantages listed above.

A bicycle is an affordable way to improve the livelihoods of individuals, households, communities and overall standards of living.