Repairing bicycles for Africa, Zurich

About the event

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

Thanks to your help, we can export additional bikes to the south, train more bike mechanics, and get students cycling.

Your task will be:
Together with participants in the bicycle workshop/integration workshop, you will prepare donated bicycles for export to Africa. Is the bicycle in working order? Do minor repairs need to be made? How can I prepare it for export in the most space-efficient way possible? You will learn all this during your assignment and get hands-on experience. Pick up donated bikes directly from the donor. Some participants will have the opportunity to work with our hard-working logistics team to transport the bikes.

Velafrica has been collecting discarded bikes since 1993, repairing them, and shipping them to Africa. Every year, over 20,000 bikes make their way to the southern hemisphere, where they make life easier for people there. In addition to promoting mobility, 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 works with social institutions that employ unemployed people and people with disabilities, as well as institutions involved in the enforcement of measures. In this way, integration work is successfully combined with development cooperation.