Urban Working Mom…and Future Nordic Champion!

A walk across an empty land: Walking the 5.7km journey from school to her home with Charlod.

As some of you know, I’m (fairly) fresh home after an amazing trip to Zambia where I experienced World Bicycle Relief’s programs in person. It was a wonderful trip filled with so many highlights that it’s difficult to decide where to start sharing about it. In a sense, it was everything that I expected it to be: the distributions are amazing and song-filled, the bicycles are ideal for the terrain and culture, the assembly facility is tightly run and, finally, the students glow when the bicycles are passed to them. All of the experiences I had in witnessing the above seemed surreal to me – was I living a dream? How could I know a place so well that I had never traveled to? How could I know such warm smiles on faces I had never seen? How could I recognize so many bicycles approaching me from the horizon of a landscape that was foreign to me? It all reminded me of the song, Somewhere Only We Know, by Keane with the lyrics, “I walked across an empty land, I knew the pathway like the back of my hand. I felt the earth beneath my feet, sat by the river and it made me complete….Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I’ve been dreaming of.” Well, it was the place that I’d been dreaming of and I did feel like I knew it like the back of my hand. But, it wasn’t a dream, it was real and it did help me feel complete.  So, with that nod to Somewhere Only We Know, I will write about the experience that had me singing Keane’s lyrics in the hopes that you further gain insight on why simple, sustainable transportation in the form of culturally-appropriate, locally assembled bicycles are changing lives, families, communities and landscapes in rural Africa through World Bicycle Relief. And, as I write this, please know that part of this trip was for you so it’s important for me to share its impact on me with you. This is for my family who has supported my career, my friends who attend an event here or there,  and the thousands of World Bicycle Relief volunteers out there who are active in the Power of Bicycles and, who, until two weeks ago, were just like me…advocating for people whom you’ve never met…but friends that you know. In a place Somewhere Only We Know. Here goes…

I spent 8 days in Zambia and I had the opportunity of a lifetime to spend three of

Riding with the students who have recieved WBR bikes at Chikanta

these days in a remote village named Sichimbwali (in the Choma District). There, we spent 1.5 days visiting with students at the Chikanta Basic School who received WBR’s Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP)bicycles in May. The visit gave us the opportunity to hear stories of how the bikes had impacted the students’ lives. Keeping in mind that the students who are selected to receive bicycles frequently commute several kilometers to/from school, the major story was sky-rocketed attendance rates. However that is just plain data. The real stories came from Beene, Challod, Frederick and Devoce, who all shared stories of increased time for studying due to their the bicycles, more efficient means of accomplishing chores (Beene, Challod and Devoce are all girl students and girls have the majority of chore responsibility in Zambia) and what they want to be when they grow up: “Teacher! Doctor! Nurse! Accountant!” were their answers where as before they received their bikes those answers were typically blank. While there, we also had the opportunity to ride with Challod, Devoce and Frederick to their homes from school which gave us the chance to better understand their commutes (and imagine them pre-bikes), meet their families and hear how the bicycles have benefited the student (and family) from their perspective. These experiences to LIVE our Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program in person were so rewarding. To see the confidence in the student’s faces that they will stay in school and reach their goals, to understand the time that was returned to them for chores, studying and fun and to hear the families’ share tales on how the bicycles also help them transport sick family members to distant clinics -  these were priceless experiences that made me so proud of the amazing volunteers I work with who have provided THOSE BIKES to THOSE RECIPIENTS. It was pride that I had never experienced before and I felt an amazing satisfaction when we waved goodbye to our new friends at Chikanta (after a GREAT game of soccer!).

The next part of our weekend in Sichimbwali was the opportunity to meet

A typical view along Charlod's walk.

a student at her school and walk to her home to get a better understanding of walking commutes to/from school in rural Zambia. So, on day two, we met Charlod at the Sichimbwali Basic School and set off on our walk. Let me preface this by saying that I was tired going into this: It was HOT, we had spent much of the previous two days walking, standing in the sun, riding our bikes and, in general, moving around in a hot/dusty climate. Furthermore, I had seen the biggest spider of my life (like Hollywood big!) the night before on my net in my room so I hardly slept a wink. With this, I wasn’t really excited about the walk. I would have prefered to stay in an air-condition car and ride with our support group. But, then I remembered that I was there to LIVE our programs and when would I have a better opportunity to do this than experience an actual 5.7km walk of a student who’d be receiving a bike the next day? So, in my flip-flops and all (I decided to wear these the majority of the trip as inadequate footwear is the norm there so I wanted to be sure to have the most “real” experience possible), I hopped out of the air-con and set off with Charlod, Dorris (Charlod’s teacher), and a fellow visitor, Bobby, on the 5.7km walk to Charlod’s house. The first 2kms of the walk were on a “main” road. It was still a dusty/dirt road but it was very wide, exposed to the sun and quite lonesome. In the 60 minutes we spent on that road, we probably saw one car (outside of our two support vehicles), about 5-10 cyclists and some other walkers (it was a Sunday so there was reduced traffic). To put it mildly, it seemed like we walked forever and I kept thinking, “we must be close!”. But, we weren’t. After that hour on the main road, we then turned to a “side” road. It was narrow and for the remainder of our 3.7km journey, it switched back and forth between being double track and single track. And, while most of us may smile when we think of single track (fun on the bikes!), I did not smile on this road. It was barren, empty and lonely. We walked for an hour before we saw other people. It was on this road that I was reminded of Keane’s lyrics: “We walked across an empty land. I knew the pathway like the back of my hand”. It was this pathway that proved to truly open my eyes and really help me understand the challenges that students face in rural Africa…This was the pathway that Charlod followed each day, a road that she frequently ran on because she was going to be late to school or be commuting after dark. This was the pathway where,  unfortunately, men hide behind bushes in the hopes to see girls like Charlod - alone and young – neither of these which benefit girls like her in dark, cruel situations.  This was the pathway where something happened to me that I didn’t think was possible: I became more passionate about World Bicycle Relief and it resorted me to tears.  Tears for the millions of students, like Charlod, who literally have “space” as a challenge for being educated. And, tears for the hundreds - and now thousands - of people who have become active in The Power of Bicycles at World Bicycle Relief and who advocate for journey’s like Charlod’s… and help make commutes like hers be done by bike and not by foot due to their efforts. I’ve known Charlod’s walk for years…I’ve talked about it countless times, I’ve given speeches at events, I’ve rallied volunteers over emails, I’ve posted youtube videos at rides but now I’ve lived it and, like I said, I didn’t think I could be more passionate about our work but I AM.  It took us about  2 hours to walk with Charlod and I can be confident when I share this: for every person out there who may wonder if their $25, $50, $134, $670, etc. is making a difference in rural Zambia IT IS. And here is how I know this…

The day after we walked to Charlod’s house with her, I had one of the greatest privileges of my life to attend a Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP) distribution at Sichimbwali. Here’s what happened:

A great sight: all of the WBR BEEP bikes ready to be distributed while a WBR mechanic does a check over.

We arrived  at the school about an hour early as we wanted to be sure to be there when the WBR trucks arrived with the bikes. The trucks were running a bit late (not surprised as the roads are hardly made for trucks carrying 100 bikes each!) so the Sichimbwali teacher staff (led by Dorris) organized the student choir to do some rehearsing. The students gathered round and the songs and poems began. To say the music was some of the most sweet-sounding tunes I’ve ever heard would be an understatment. The harmonies were unreal, the notes were perfect. I would describe it as hearing the most beautiful sunrise you’ve ever seen. It was amazing. And that was just practice. Furthermore, there was dancing. Dancing that was a pure and complete communication of gratitude. When was the last time you danced to express thankfulness? Moms were doing just that…dancing because they were so thankful that their children were receiving bicycles. Now, we love our bikes in my family but I don’t think we’ve ever danced due to them:)! Then, just as the choir practice was wrapping up, the hum of trucks grew louder in the distance. The trucks were arriving! And, just like that, the kids ran in a cluster of frenzy – like a swarm of bees! – to greet the trucks. How sweet that sight was to me. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, about 250 WBR bikes were filed in neat lines through the help of everyone and anyone who wanted to share in the excitement. Meanwhile, the newly trained locally appointed WBR field mechanics were easy to spot in their smart blue uniforms – checking air pressure and  meticulously lining up handlebars. Proud men they were. After the final bike was unloaded and each tire checked, the official distribution began. 30 minutes of greetings, songs (that sweet music again!) and speeches set an exciting stage as the celebration turned to the actual act of handing about 250 bicycles to  eager, bright-eyed students. The anticipation was at its highest point as the first bicycle was rolled up to handed over to none other than Charlod! Due our experience with her the day before, it was only appropriate that she was the first student called to receive her bike. Watching this was beyond fulfilling. Seeing a girl who had spent about 4 hours per day traveling by foot – who was determined to complete her education no matter the empty land she faced each day to do just that – receive a tool that would ensure her goal would be reached was powerful. It literally was The Power of Bicycles unraveling in front of me. Was it a dream?  No, it was real…and it was at a place that I knew like the back of my hand. Did it change me? No. It just verified to me something I’ve known for the pat 3.5 years but can now say with greater confidence…

 To every volunteer I work with who doesn’t see Zambia as a distant place too far to care about but ratherin your neighborhood around the corner, the bicycles are there, on the roads Somewhere Only You Know and are transforming lives. And, to every volunteer I work with who wants to give back through their love of cycling and share the gift of a bicycle I can now say this with 100% confidence as well: you might have the slickest carbon fiber under you, the lightest group, the fastest wheel set but know this is true: the most powerful bike in the world isn’t at your weekend group ride; it’s in the hands of students like Charlod in rural Africa who are fighting for their education – and lives – and who will now win that fight because of you.

I’ll leave this lasting image with you: what was once a walk across an empty land is now a bike ride. That is the Power of Bicycles and The Power of You.

A student at Sichimbwali hops on her WBR bike for the very first time.