Serving out of Love
This publication presents the mission of Caritas in the Church. Rooted in Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching, it shows how Caritas serves the poor, responds to emergencies, empowers communities, and advocates for justice.
Rotary Bicycle Project
The Challenge
In many rural communities in The Gambia, students travel long distances to reach school. For many children this means walking several kilometers each day, often arriving late, exhausted or missing school altogether.
In many rural communities in The Gambia, students travel long distances to reach school. For many children this means walking several kilometers each day, often arriving late, exhausted or missing school altogether.
Our Response
Through the Rotary Bicycle Project, Caritas Gambia provides refurbished bicycles to students who face significant challenges in accessing education due to distance.
The initiative aims to reduce transportation barriers and enable students to attend school regularly, safely and on time.
Key interventions include
- Distribution of refurbished bicycles to students in rural communities
- Collaboration with schools to identify the most vulnerable beneficiaries
- Community level handover ceremonies to promote ownership and accountability
- Monitoring of usage to ensure bicycles support continued school attendance
Impact
The bicycle project has significantly improved access to education for students who previously walked long distances to school.
The initiative contributes to:
- Increased school attendance
- Reduced lateness and absenteeism
- Improved concentration and academic engagement
- Reduced physical burden on students traveling to school
- Greater motivation among beneficiaries to remain in school
By addressing transportation barriers, the project supports equal access to education and helps students remain focused on learning.
Partnerships
The Rotary Bicycle Project is implemented in partnership with:
- Rotary Ireland
- Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education
- Local schools and community leaders
Through this collaboration, hundreds of bicycles have been distributed to students across the country, helping to ensure that distance is no longer a barrier to education.
Supporting Students on Their Journey to School
Partner With Us to Build Stronger Communities
Your support helps expand access to health, education, food security and economic opportunity for vulnerable families across The Gambia.