Want to learn more about how your bicycle donation is applied at globalbike programs in Tanzania? Read here about Kazi na Sala's shop.
Kazi na Sala is a women's cooperative in a rural village of Kilimanjaro Region that owns and runs a globalbike-supported bike rental and repair program. globalbike's work with this group began several years ago through a partnership between globalbike, Kazi na Sala, and the grassroots NGO, The TATU Project, which provides daily business development support to the women's cooperative.
While the women first rented bicycles out of their homes, they have operated a fully-fledge bike rental and repair shop since October 2016.
With a fleet of 64 bicycles and the capacity to repair them, the shop is able to serve unmet transportation needs in their village. Bike users ride the bikes for small business development, sourcing water, and reaching public services to improve their lives. In a recent 2017 survey conducted by globalbike, we found that 91% of bike users in this area would not be able to run their small business without access to a bicycle. Our monitoring and evaluation data found that people in our programs who earn an average of $50 per month were able to increase their incomes by up to 57% when they used a bicycle versus walking or paying for more expensive transportation.
Kazi na Sala not only provides a valuable service for villagers, but supports business development in rural areas that would otherwise be cost prohibitive for both bike users and small business owners hoping to initiate a rental program. Half of people surveyed in our 2017 study were not able to afford the cost of a bicycle bought outright or to access repairs to maintain it. Capital investments needed to initiate a rental program are usually out of reach for business owners wanting to open a rental program.
The demand for bicycles has been so high in this village that Kazi na Sala has been consistently renting their entire stock of bicycles since April 2017. In 2018, globalbike will donate additional bicycles to increase their capacity. This donation not only meets users' needs, but will provide additional revenue for Kazi na Sala as they begin to take responsibility for all costs in 2018, including spare parts costs which globalbike has donated over the past year.
This holiday season, consider making a bicycle donation to Kazi na Sala. Each additional bike can generate $2-3 / month for the women's group. While this may not seem like a large amount for us, it has an outsized impact in a local economy where the average income is $42/month. The impact of your donation is even greater, as these cooperatives put 100% of their profits into a group savings trust that they use to prevent poverty and realize new business opportunities. The women use these funds to support their members during times of economic hardship, or to provide loans to start or grow their small business.
We hope you'll join us in this partnership with Kazi na Sala and The TATU Project and consider donating today. Two wheels make a world of difference!