The focus group we organised before the end of the 2016 summer, shows that many students travel miles on foot to get to school. This certainly has a negative impact on the education of these students, some of them arriving late at school causing them to miss some lessons. Walking so far to school could be tiring, some of the students that attend the afternoon shift end up reaching home late. Most of the students have domestic chores to do at home giving them less time to do their homework. Our organization is willing to help them to find a safe, easier way to and from school.
Short Term Goal
* 400 hundred bicycles
Challenges/Barrier
* Distance
* Safety concerns
* Household chores
* Low income
Challenges/Barrier
* Reduced travel times, leaving more time for learning
* Increased attendance and improved performance
* Increased retention of girls in primary, junior and secondary schools
* Improved safety and security of students traveling to and from school
We prioritise 80% of the bicycles for girls
How do we aim to achieve our short term goal?
1. Raise funds in The Gambia and London through ALH network and supporting personnel.
2. Hold fundraising events
Long Term Goal
* Provide 1000 bicycles by 2022
* Bicycle skills centre in Kukujang Mariama
* Enrol 30 students every 6 months.
* Bicycles repair training
Logistics
* Bicycles will be on loan to students during term time.
* Priority will be given to students travelling the longest distant.
* All bicycles will be kept in the bicycle skills centre during off terms
* Skill tutors will be hired to carry out the intended programs.
Why this project?
ALH strongly believes that the bicycle project and skills centre will play a significant role in addressing the challenges of commuting to school; improve safety for students especially females who are at higher risks abuse or attacks. The bicycle and skills centre project is part of ALH’s larger objective which is to contribute towards education in The Gambia.
* To address the current challenges students from some communities are currently facing in The Gambia, we aim to address this issue by providing some bicycles for the students. The reason for starting the bicycle project is to enhance easy access to school for students that live far, making it easier to commute to school on time. Having easy access to school would also encourage the young people to embrace learning which may in turn increase their punctuality at school
* Establishing a skill centre will enable us to train the youth different skills. The skills learned in bicycle repairs will be used to repair and maintain the bicycle donated.