Discarded bikes in Kilcullen become daily transport in Africa

Up to 900 old bicycles left into the Bord na Mona Recycling facility at Silliot Hill each year become daily transport for students in The Gambia in Africa, writes Brian Byrne.

Under the School Bikes Africa programme operated by Rotary clubs on the island of Ireland, the bikes from Kilcullen and 16 other sites are repaired by prisoners, and then shipped out for distribution by a local development charity in The Gambia run by Fr Sean Devereaux.

"The bicycles are given to students who otherwise had to walk to school, sometimes up to 10 or 15 kilometres in the heat," says Pat Brady of Newbridge Rotary Club. "It means they are not totally exhausted after a walk to school, and for the girls it means they can travel at speeds that keep them safe from harm." When the students leave school, the bicycles are handed over to other students, so there is a double recycling element to the project. "Absolutely nothing is thrown away out there," comments Pat, who has worked many years on big construction projects on the African continent. "If a bicycle becomes totally unserviceable, it will be put to one side to be used for parts."

The scheme was initiated about five years ago by a Newbridge member of Rotary, Sean Dunne, in association with Jason Dempsey of Kilkenny Rotary Club. They began with two collection centres, in Kilkenny and Newbridge, and now there are 18 centres around the country, from which the donated bicycles are collected with the help of the Defence Forces and brought for refurbishment.

While initially the bikes were repaired and serviced by prisoners in Blacklion in Cavan, two more workshop facilities in the Irish Prison system have now come on board. "The prisoners can become expert at bicycle repairs, and from this they get a Certificate in Bicycle Maintenance which is very useful when they want to find work after serving their sentences."

The donated bikes don't have to be in full running order, but do have to be repairable. Spare parts are provided by Rotary Ireland, and the organisation also funds the cost of getting them out to Africa, some 330 bikes at a time in a 40-foot container.

"They need to be adult bikes, we don't take anything less than 24" wheels," Pat Brady says. "Sometimes people leave children's bikes at the depots, in the mistaken impression that they would be useful ... but they get dumped."

Some 6,500 bicycles have been delivered to Africa in the last four years under the scheme.

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