Zimbabwe : Bicycles keep girls in school in rural areas (IPS)

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In rural Zimbabwe, long distances between home and school prevent many children from attending class regularly. Rejoice Muzamani, a Grade 7 student in southeast Zimbabwe, used to walk up to 20 km to school each day, often arriving exhausted and struggling to return home before dark. The journey was not only tiring but also dangerous, with risks such as wild animal encounters along the way. However, since receiving a bicycle in early 2021, she now navigates the narrow dirt roads more easily and has more energy to focus on her studies.

Since its launch in 2009, World Bicycle Relief has provided over 60,000 bicycles to students in Zimbabwe. These bicycles help children travel easily to school and reduce the strain of long walks. The primary goal of the initiative is to help keep children, especially young girls, in school and support their pursuit of higher education.

Ms. Muzamani lives with her grandmother and credits her bicycle for her ability to be on time and focus on her education. Since receiving her bike, Ms. Muzamani has been able to continue her education without time constraints and, after completing secondary school, she aspires to study accounting at university.

As part of Zimbabwean traditions, girls have additional household responsibilities, such as cooking and cleaning, which consume significant time and energy. Ms. Muzamani says, “I used to be late and miss classes. Despite waking up early, it was tough to arrive on time because of household tasks.” Now, with her bike, she does not miss any lessons and can stay on schedule, making time to complete her homework and chores.

Faith Machavi is a secondary school student in another region of Zimbabwe and shares similar struggles to Ms. Muzamani. Ms. Machavi says, “Some of my friends dropped out or got married early because of the long distances to school.” Exhausted from traveling long distances and balancing household chores, Ms. Machavi almost gave up on her education and dream of becoming a lawyer.

However, in 2022, she received a bicycle from World Bicycle Relief for less than $5 US. Because of this, she no longer missed classes and was able to balance being on time and completing her chores at home.

Maxim Murungwen is a Zimbabwean child rights expert. She says that the bicycle initiative empowers young girls to have autonomy over their time and helps them plan, knowing they have mobility within their communities.

In 2022, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the Marriages Act into law, which prohibits the marriage of minors under the age of 18. This new law was enacted to mitigate the effects of child marriage, including school dropout and early pregnancy. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, in Zimbabwe, one in three women is married before reaching adulthood, and more than one in five adolescents give birth. The bicycle initiative helps girls avoid early marriage, stay in school, and pursue higher education.

Mrs. Murungweni continues to encourage the government and development partners to scale up initiatives like this to help marginalized children and girls access education by improving their mobility.

This story is based on an article written by Farai Shawn Matiashe for Interpress News Service, titled “In Zimbabwe’s Rural Areas, Bicycles Keep Girls in School.” To read the full story, go to: https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/10/in-zimbabwes-rural-areas-bicycles-keep-girls-in-school/

Photo: Faith Machavi pedalling a bicycle at Mwenje Dumisani Secondary Chiredzi in Zimbabwe. Credi: Farai Shawn Matiash, IPS