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<\/a><\/p>\nRecent reports revealed that of the estimated 17-million children in school in South Africa, 11-million of them walk to school each day. Nearly 500 000 of these learners walk more than an hour or up to 6km one way to school. The high rate of school dropouts in rural communities especially of girls has been partly attributed to the walking distance endured by the learners. The girls\u2019 plight is also exacerbated by an extra burden of morning household chores which increases tardiness and exhaustion.<\/p>\n
The Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme (BEEP) which was started in 2009 in Zambia by World Bicycle Relief, found bicycles as a safe, reliable and affordable mode of transportation for the learners. Qhubeka in partnership with World Vision South Africa introduced BEEP in South Africa in 2013 and to date 8 100 bicycles have been delivered in five provinces.<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cEducation is one of our key pillars in our quest to be a company with meaning and impact through our Corporate Social Investment initiatives under the banner of Volkswagen for Good. As the maker of people\u2019s car, we are passionate about South Africa. This drives us to working towards making a sustainable difference in the fight against poverty and community upliftment,\u201d said Thomas Schaefer, Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa.<\/p>\n
Schaefer added: \u201cThrough our partnership with Qhubeka and World Vision South Africa, we seek to make a small difference but with big impact on the lives of young boys and girls in the most rural parts of our country. We are very hopeful that these bicycles will change the learners\u2019 approach to their schooling and encourage them to work harder to be the best that they want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cQhubeka is delighted to be partnering with Volkswagen to provide access to education through bicycles to children in South Africa. Thanks to Volkswagen\u2019s generous donation distance no longer needs to be a barrier to education for 1 100 school children in Nkonkobe and Umzimkhulu. Research shows that education is an essential element in the fight to end the cycle of poverty in developing countries. With BEEP we can make an immediate difference to school attendance as well as improve children\u2019s wellbeing with reliable and affordable transportation,\u201d Sarah Phaweni, Qhubeka Executive Director.<\/p>\n
Comments Paula Barnard, national director of World Vision SA: \u201cWith BEEP 2015 well underway we\u2019re undoubtedly meeting what we set out to achieve, reaching the most rural of communities to enable these children to attend school on time and so improve their overall educational outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\nEach benefiting learner receives a bicycle with a helmet, spanner, combination lock and pump. The learner and parents or guardian are required to sign a contract which stipulates the terms and conditions of using the bicycle. A Bicycle Supervisory Committee is also setup at each recipient school and represented by teachers, SGB (student governing body) members and parents. The Bicycle Supervisory Committee\u2019s role is to not only select beneficiaries but also enforce the two-year service-to-own contract which governs the use of the bicycle.<\/p>\n
The bicycle becomes the personal property of the learner after the two years of the contract have elapsed.<\/p>\n