Repairing Bicycles for Africa, Zurich

About the event

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

Thanks to your support, we can export additional bicycles to the Global South, train more bicycle mechanics, and provide schoolchildren with bicycle mobility.

Your role will be:
Together with participants from the bicycle and integration workshop, you will help prepare donated bicycles for export to Africa. Is the bicycle functional? Does it need minor repairs? How can it be packed in the most space-saving way for shipment? You will learn all this during your assignment and get hands-on experience. You may also help collect bicycle donations directly from donors. For some participants, there is also the opportunity to assist our dedicated logistics team with bicycle transport.

Since 1993, Velafrica has been collecting decommissioned bicycles, refurbishing them, and shipping them to Africa. Each year, over 20,000 bicycles are sent south, helping to improve the lives of people there. In addition to providing mobility, Velafrica supports the establishment of bicycle workshops and the training of mechanics. This creates jobs and income opportunities in bicycle assembly, repair, and distribution.

In Switzerland, Velafrica works with social institutions that employ unemployed individuals and people with disabilities, as well as with correctional institutions. In this way, integration efforts are successfully combined with development cooperation.