World Bicycle Relief content messaging guide

Thank you for your support of World Bicycle Relief and helping to spread the word about the work we’re doing together to mobilize people across the globe with life-changing bicycles. Your dedication means the world to us and those we serve.

Please use this guide as a reference when talking about World Bicycle Relief’s mission and impact. For more brand guidelines, please see our Brand Book and additional media resources.

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WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA

URL: https://worldbicyclerelief.org/

● Facebook: World Bicycle Relief

● Instagram: @worldbicyclerelief

● Twitter: @powerofbicycles

● LinkedIn: World Bicycle Relief

THE BASICS

Mission statement

World Bicycle Relief mobilizes communities in rural regions around the world to thrive with life-changing bicycles.

Vision statement

We envision a world where bicycles improve healthcare and education outcomes and broaden economic opportunities so individuals and communities can thrive.

What is World Bicycle Relief?

World Bicycle Relief believes that two wheels can open a new world of possibilities - especially in places where access to reliable transportation is a luxury. That's why we support people and communities in low-income regions to go after their dreams with life-changing bicycles. Equipped with a purpose-designed Buffalo Bicycle from World Bicycle Relief, individuals in low-income regions are a force for change, creating opportunities for themselves, their families and entire communities.

Thanks to our incredible community of supporters, since 2005, we've distributed more than 834,000 bicycles in 21 countries around the world to students, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs and farmers. With reliable transportation, entire communities can access critical services like education, markets and clinics.

Why bicycles?

Nearly one billion people around the world lack access to reliable transportation and, as a result, remain trapped in a cycle of poverty. We aspire for individuals to have access to an appropriate transport option that is affordable, safe, and meets their needs and preferences. We are experts in bicycle mobility and design bicycle mobility solutions.

Bicycles are a simple mode of transportation that are essential to creating long-term sustainable change in low-income regions around the world. When compared to walking, bicycle riders can carry more cargo in less time. A high-quality bicycle is a powerful, cross-cutting intervention that immediately helps riders improve economic development and educational and healthcare outcomes.

Origin story

World Bicycle Relief was founded in 2005 by F.K. Day and Leah Missbach Day in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami. As a co-founder of SRAM Corp. and a leader in product development, F.K.’s role offered a unique opportunity to problem-solve with cycling industry leaders. As a documentary photographer, Leah’s gift for sharing stories helped bring the devastation of those affected by the tsunami to light. Together, with support from SRAM and other industry leaders, F.K. and Leah launched World Bicycle Relief to provide bicycles for those in need. In partnership with aid organizations in Sri Lanka, we distributed more than 24,000 bicycles to displaced survivors, providing access to education, healthcare, and economic development while reconnecting entire communities.

Today, World Bicycle Relief’s goal of providing 1 million Buffalo Bicycles worldwide is well within reach

Why Buffalo Bicycles?

The Buffalo Bicycle isn’t your typical bike. While most of the world’s bicycles are lightweight, complex and made for recreation, the Buffalo Bicycle was created specifically to withstand the rugged terrain and harsh climate conditions of the regions in which we work. The result of over 10 years of product development, our bicycle meets the pressing needs of people living in low-income regions around the world.

The extremely durable and easy-to-maintain Buffalo Bicycle is tested and assembled in our program countries. The rear rack’s capacity of 100 kgs allows the end user to carry heavy loads to market or even another rider to school. The design of the Buffalo also ensures compatibility with locally available spare parts.

The power of the Buffalo Bicycle isn’t in just the object itself. Coupled with the rider, it is a fierce force for change.

Pathways to impact

How we translate strategy into the “what” we actually do and achieve our outcomes

• Grow: Expand and improve bicycle ecosystems
• Partner: Partner to scale impact, shift outcomes and expand geographies
• Influence: Ensure bicycles are part of the global development and community resilience conversation

Community partnerships

World Bicycle Relief’s programs begin and end with the people we serve. Local community members determine who would benefit from a bicycle and help build programs to fit their needs. The result: Thousands of individuals from various sectors, backgrounds and age groups mobilized with life-changing bicycles to access health, education and livelihoods. Together, they can create change for themselves as well as serve the greater community for generations to come.

Social enterprise model (video: Your Impact Multiplied by Our Innovative Model)

World Bicycle Relief operates as a social enterprise, an innovative hybrid model in which the nonprofit wholly owns a for-profit. Buffalo Bicycles Ltd. is the for-profit subsidiary of World Bicycle Relief that sells Buffalo Bicycles directly to consumers and institutions across Africa and Colombia. Profits from Buffalo Bicycles Ltd. increase World Bicycle Relief's economies of scale, increasing the impact of its philanthropic work. This model allows World Bicycle Relief to address the challenge of distance on a larger scale in the countries where it operates.

Women and girls

Women and girls can take charge of their futures with bicycles. With access to bicycles, women and girls have the opportunity to unlock their potential and focus on education, feel safer, obtain vital healthcare services and achieve greater earning potential. That’s why World Bicycle Relief works with communities to direct at least 70% of programming and bicycles to support women and girls.

THE DATA AND STATISTICS

At World Bicycle Relief, we believe that all answers are found in the communities where we work. Through the use of participatory methods, we capture data and analyze the results not only to demonstrate where your money goes, but also to help us continuously improve our programs and our Buffalo Bicycles.

For more on our impact, please see our collection of Impact Reports and Case Studies

TOTAL BICYCLES DISTRIBUTED: 834,000+

MECHANICS TRAINED: 3,500+

EDUCATION^[1]

• 28%  With a bicycle, girl students in World Bicycle Relief’s education programming were less likely to miss school than girls without bicycles, decreasing absenteeism by 28%.

• 66%  Girls’ punctuality increased by 66% with a Buffalo Bicycle.  
• 19%  Girls’ dropouts decreased by 19%
• 33%  Access to bicycles reduced girls’ commute to school by 35 minutes one way, on average - a decrease of 33%.

• Girls with a bicycle reported feeling more empowered, with an increased sense of control over the decisions affecting their lives.

• 22%  Girls with a bicycle reported a 22% decrease in harassment, making them less likely to be whistled at or teased on the way to school.

LIVELIHOODS^[2]

• 23%  Dairy farmers equipped with Buffalo Bicycles delivered 23% more milk and earned 23% more income

HEALTHCARE^[3]

• 88%  On a Buffalo Bicycle, health workers saw an average of 88% more patients each month.