Providing Students with Bicycles

Unsafe Afterschool Travel for Students
The underprivileged girls in Batticaloa have to travel far after school to get after school tuition. This long travel is hot, tiring and often unsafe for these young girls. These girls are trying to enhance their education and the journey to their classes should not be obstructive. In addition to the students worrying about their own safety, their parents are also concerned with their safety on these long travels. Other means of transportation such as buses or rickshaws are not affordable solutions for these students from impoverished families. Thus the long journey is taken on foot.

Providing Students with Bicycles
Peer 2 Peer wanted to provide a solution that would allow safe quick travel that would create less stress for these students as well as their worrying parents. In order to do so, we provided twelve Lumala bicycles to girls from needy families. By providing these twelve girls with this mode of transportation their focus would be on their education and their parents would have peace at mind knowing their students are able to travel faster and safer. The Lumala bicycle was identified as the appropriate model for the students. This bicycle came equipped with important accessories such as a head light, front storage basket, and a rear rack.

After the assembly of the twelve bicycles was completed, they were ready to be delivered to the Batticaloa schools. A small bicycle distribution ceremony was arranged by our local coordinators, Father Johnson and Mr. Anand. The chief guest Mr. K. Baskaran, the Zonal Director of Education Batticaloa, multiple school principals, parents and students attended the distribution ceremony. Nico Mahinthan, our Peer 2 Peer Project Administrator and volunteer representative Karuneshwaren also attended the event.

Photos from the distribution ceremony:

  sdr