Impact Report 2018



Velafrica is effective. In Switzerland and Africa.



With impressive stories, pictures and figures, our 2018 Impact Report presents all the various activities of Velafrica, of our partners in Switzerland and Africa as well as of our numerous supporters. The stories illustrate how bicycles have a lasting positive impact on the lives of people along our value chain from Switzerland to Africa.


According to the European Cycling Federation, cycling has an influence on 12 of the 17 sustainability goals (SDGs).



The Velafrica Impact Chain



Since 1993, Velafrica has reconditioned more than 200,000 used bicycles in social workshops and exported them to its partners. The combination of integration work in Switzerland and the creation of jobs and training places in Africa is unique.



Collection & Recycling



Every year, numerous individuals and organizations throughout Switzerland collect bicycles for Velafrica and make an important contribution to our work. In 2018, more than 34,000 bicycles were collected. These are some of our 2018 collection heroes.



« The bicycle has accompanied me through my whole youth, thus also through some class camps like through the hilly Jura or over the mountain passes into Ticino. Actually, it's a shame to throw away a still functional bike. I would be happy if my bike could be of use to someone else. »


Cornelia, 43, Bicycle donor



114 Collection events from Birsstadt to Landquart



Thanks to the commitment of individuals, renewable energy regions, associations, religious groups, political communities, school classes and companies, 8,035 bicycles are collected. In Muri on 19 May 2018, 560 bicycles have been collected in 5 hours. Wow!



Successful Bicycle Exchange Actions with JUMBO



Jumbo has reached a large audience with two bicycle exchange actions in favor of Velafrica. Over 4,000 bicycles were collected in spring and autumn destined for export to Africa.



Spare Parts Are an Important Raw Material



Defective bicycles are repaired before they reach Africa. If the repair is no longer worthwhile, individual parts are dismantled. From highly specialized parts such as a 29" MTB suspension forks to a mixed bag of different screws, our recycling process allows us to recover more than 80 different parts.

Picture: © Tomas Wüthrich



Integration & COMMUNITY ACTION



In social workshops, the donated bicycles are carefully repaired, disassembled and prepared.



« The atmosphere and cooperation with the participants, employees and volunteers is enriching and interesting. »


Marcel has been volunteering for Velafrica for the past 2 years



30 partner companies carry out integration work for 360 people - processing 18,794 bicycles in the process



Our partners are all operating in the field of labor integration - they collect, store, process and load around two thirds of the collected bicycles. 360 asylum seekers, unemployed people and people with disabilities repair the donated bicycles.


The Swiss partners of Velafrica

A New Workshop in Pratteln



Since autumn 2015 Velafrica has been running its own integration project for refugees with the Export Workshop in Liebefeld. Since May last year, a new export workshop has been in operation in cooperation with AIP in Pratteln. This new facility has already processed and shipped 5 containers with almost 2,400 reconditioned bicycles to Africa by the end of the year.



Efficient Cooperation in the Velafrica Export Workshop



Our own export workshop in Liebefeld offers a variety of encounters. 46 asylum seekers as well as recognized and temporarily admitted refugees prepared 5,006 bicycles for export to Africa in collaboration with civil service workers, volunteers and the workshop management.

Picture: © Tomas Wüthrich



139 Volunteers actively help out



Our volunteers make their contribution to this success and volunteer over 2,500 hours at bicycle stands or collection events.



8 teams visit Liebefeld



More and more companies spend their team events with us in the Liebefeld Export Workshop. Together with asylum seekers, they work on bicycles, creating exciting encounters.


ENGAGE AS A company

Bicycle export



By land and sea, the reconditioned bicycles from Switzerland reach 8 partners in 6 African countries.



50 containers were loaded throughout Switzerland



Every week a container left Switzerland for Africa. On average, 8 - 12 people are involved in loading the container, and it takes about 4 hours to load approx. 465 bicycles.



Social Entrepreneurship



Velafrica supports the development of independent social enterprises in Africa. These create jobs and guarantee the sustainable use of bicycles.



« It makes me proud when I cycle through Arusha and everywhere I see bicycles sold at the Arusha Bicycle Centre (ABC). Today the bicycle has a completely different significance than a few years ago: Its benefits are recognized and more and more people want to have their own bicycle. »


Hans Harrison, young entrepreneur and head of the Arusha Bicycle Center



Another Bike Hub opened in Ouagadougou



In 2018, the financing of a new Bicycle Hub offering jobs, training for young people and a mobility program in Burkina Faso was successfully completed. In late autumn, the construction work started and the first two containers were delivered. Faso Velo is the fifth hub alongside the existing Bicycle Hubs in Tanzania, Madagascar and Ivory Coast.



News from our Bicycles Hubs



Arusha, Tanzania



13 employees, including 2 women, find a job at ABC. More than 6 containers go to Arusha.



Nshamba, Tanzania



In 2018, 16 employees, 7 of them women, were employed by VBC. AIDS orphans learn and work in this bicycle workshop.



Antsirabe, Madagascar



The Centre Akany Risika trains young people from poor backgrounds. Since 2012, training in bicycle mechanics has been offered. In 2018, 20 employees, including 2 women, were employed.



Abidjan, Ivory Coast



The Sport3 team expanded the bike shop and founded a mountain bike club for young people. In 2018 Sport3 employed 6 people.



Vocational Training for Young People



The second focus of Velafrica is the training of young people within the bicycle workshops. In 2018 we further developed the Vocational Education and Skills Training (VET) Program and trained local instructors in theory and practice.



« When I started with the Vijana Bicycle Center, people would laugh and say a woman cannot be a bike mechanic. Now I feel more competent because of the skills I learned, and in the community there are changes. When it comes to female mechanics, men no longer question our skills. They know a woman can do the job. »


Devotha, 21, 2nd year learner at VBC



10 Weeks of Training for Instructors



Velafrica trainer Däni Grüter spends 6 weeks at the two bike centers in Tanzania. The assignments are important for the transfer of knowledge to the South: Local vocational instructors receive further training and new courses are set up. Däni also spent 4 weeks at Faso Velo to assist our local partners in setting up the new infrastructure.



Velafrica's Vocational Training Program is Recognized for the First Time



It is our ultimate goal that our Vocational Training program meets the national requirements and is recognized. The process is lengthy. We have reached a first milestone in 2018. In Tanzania our program meets the requirements and is given the green light for recognition.



64 Training Positions for Young People



Young men and women in Tanzania, Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Gambia can take part in training for bicycle mechanics at one of our hubs. Donatilla completed her training as a bicycle mechanic with VBC in 2018 and is now manager of her own VBC branch in Muleba.



News from our Bicycles Hubs



Currently 7 young people, 3 of them girls, are participating in the training. 5 of them are pursuing their second year of training. There are 2 apprentices who graduated last year and now both work for ABC.



In 2018, 7 young people, including 2 girls, took part in the VET program.



In 2018, 43 young people began training in bicycle mechanics at the Centre Risika over a period of two years.



Sport3 trained 3 young people last year, including one girl. 2 of them now work for the bicycle shop.



Bicycle Mobility Creates Perspectives



Bicycles make life easier for people in rural Africa: long journeys to school, the market or the field are therefore less demanding. Loads can be transported more easily. In the spirit of a social enterprise, our partners are also involved in activities for the benefit of their communities.



« Before I got my bike, I spent a lot of time on the street, I felt tired and sometimes I was late. Now I arrive at school on time and have time to study for class, help my mother with housework and do other things. I also feel safer on my bike, especially in the evening, because compared to walking, I am no longer on the street when it is very late. »


Valérie, 14, schoolgirl, Madagascar



23’800 exported bicycles create new perspectives



Our exported bicycles are a catalyst of improved social and economic perspectives for their new owners. Graidess Alphonce, from Tanzania, can now deliver her fresh vegetables directly from the field to many more customers, thereby generating more income, enabling her to finance her daughter's school fees.



Over 1100 women in Burkina Faso no longer have to walk long hours



Mam Weefo, a collaboration between Velafrica and Kaïcedra, sells recycling bicycles to women in rural Burkina Faso at highly discounted prices.



1650 Schoolchildren acquired a discounted bicycle



The bicycles handed over as part of the Bike-to-School program make it much easier for children to get to school. ABC, VBC and Centre Risika made it possible to realize the program in Tanzania and Madagascar.

Picture: © Tomas Wüthrich



Almost 1000 hours per week!



This is the time saved by the 175 Malagasy schoolchildren thanks to their new Velafrica bike - and that’s every week! Our impact assessment of the Bike-to-School program in Madagascar has shown that the journey to school is not only faster but also safer. The children use the time gained to study, to assist with housework or just to be a child and have fun.



News from our Bicycles Hubs



ABC supported the Mount Meru Charity Ride by donating a bicycle in favor of orphans.



VBC organizes cycling tours for the Tatutano Youth, a self-help program for AIDS orphans.



The Centre Risika introduced the Bike-to-School program for the first time. 175 young people with a long way to school now have a bike that takes them to school safely and on time.



Sport3 organized 35 Cycling Sundays. These are tours where disadvantaged girls and boys can rent a bike for free. Furthermore, Sport3 supports ambitious cyclists in buying an MTB.



The story of the 200'000th Bicycle



The first bicycle left Switzerland in 1993. In the summer of 2018, Velafrica exported its 200'000th bicycle to Africa.



Pick-up in Romainmôtier



The 200'000th bicycle is an Euroteam MTB donated by our collecting hero Serge Goy from Romainmôtier. For three years, this retired teacher has been helping Velafrica to collect bicycles. Franco Marvulli, ex-world champion cyclist and Velafrica ambassador, is also there to pick up the bike.



Out of the basement!



Our ambassador receives the bike from Serge Goy and delivers it to our Export Workshop in Liebefeld.



Export Workshop



The Export Workshop team receives the bike for reconditioning and shipment preparation.



Export Preparation



Do the brakes work, does the derailleur have to be adjusted? In order to be transported as space-saving as possible, the 200,000th bicycle is reconditioned and disassembled for export in our Workshop in Liebefeld.



Export Ready



The bike is ready for the journey to Africa. After a final inspection, the bike leaves the workshop and is stored ready for shipment. It's time to update the bike counter!



Loading



The bicycle is loaded into the container in Liebefeld with approx. 499 others and starts a journey of several weeks to Tanzania.



Delivery



The Arusha Bicycle Center, Tanzania, welcomes the 200,000th bicycle coming from Switzerland.



Social Bicycle Hub



The Arusha Bicycle Center, ABC, is one of five Social Bicycle Hubs, partners of Velafrica. These social enterprises guarantee the assembly and distribution of Swiss recycled bicycles. They also offer training programs and support the mobility of the most disadvantaged.



Vocational Education and Training



The apprentice bicycle mechanics would all like to prepare this special bicycle for sale.



On Sale!



The 200,000th bike is quickly reassembled by the trainees and is ready for sale.



Supporting Cycling Mobility



Maximilian from Moshi, south of Kilimanjaro, can buy a mountain bike from Switzerland at a reduced price via the "Bike-to-School" program.



Bike-to-School



He now covers his 15 kilometer journey to school by bicycle and arrives on time and less exhausted at school.



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