Bicycle Repairs for Africa, Pratteln

About the event

Recycled bicycles from Switzerland combine social and professional integration within the country with sustainable development cooperation in Africa.

Thanks to your support, we can export additional bicycles to the Global South, train more bicycle mechanics, and help students gain access to mobility through bicycles.

Your role:

Together with participants from the AIP plus program, run by our bicycle processing partner Stiftung Jugendsozialwerk, you will produce spare parts from defective bicycles and prepare bicycles for export in the most space-efficient way possible. Participants with technical experience can assess whether the donated bicycles are suitable for export to Africa. Is the bicycle functional? Are minor repairs required?

You will learn all of this during your assignment and actively contribute through hands-on work.

Since 1993, Velafrica has been collecting discarded bicycles, refurbishing them, and shipping them to Africa. Each year, more than 20,000 bicycles are sent to the Global South, significantly improving lives through enhanced mobility. In addition, Velafrica supports the establishment of bicycle workshops and the training of mechanics. This creates jobs and income opportunities in bicycle assembly, repair, and sales.

In Switzerland, Velafrica collaborates with social institutions that employ individuals who are unemployed or living with disabilities, as well as organizations involved in correctional programs. In this way, integration efforts are successfully linked with international development cooperation.