Bicycle Center Helps Namibia's Poor Live a Better Life

For the past 16 years, a cycling centre in Namibia's capital Windhoek has been helping poor people live better lives.

Over the past decades, tens of thousands of people in the African nation have flocked to the capital and major cities in search of work, according to Xinhua. Many of them live in settlements. For Tate John, who lives in the 30,000-strong Havana informal settlement, cycling is the cheapest and most efficient way to get around. Thanks to the Havana Empowerment Bicycle Center, an initiative of the charity Family of Hope Services, he now has a bike. “Before, we were struggling. I didn’t know where to get a bike so I could go to work, earn money and take care of my family,” John said.

Bicycle mechanic Hileni Simeon at the Havana Bicycle Empowerment Center. Photo: Xinhua

The center works with the Namibia Bicycle Empowerment Network to provide bicycles to residents. Since its establishment in 2007, the center has addressed gaps in access, repair and maintenance services in the Havana settlement, where bicycles have become a popular mode of transport. Without bicycles, residents have to walk long distances. Many residents who cycle to work struggle to find affordable suppliers and repair shops, says Foibe Silvanus, the center’s director. “The center has solved this problem. We want to provide affordable transportation to the community,” Silvanus emphasizes.

The centre also provides jobs for women, contributing to the Namibian government ’s efforts to promote gender equality. Before coming to the centre to work as a bicycle repairer, Hileni Simeon had to earn a living by cutting grass. The 49-year-old woman said she was lucky to have the opportunity to learn bicycle repair four years ago. Simeon proudly shared: “At first, the work was very difficult, but now I have mastered the repair technique. I have now repaired more than 100 bicycles.” Simeon also hopes that she will inspire others to prove that women can work as effectively as men.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-te/doi-song/trung-tam-xe-dap-giup-nguoi-ngheo-o-namibia-huong-toi-cuoc-song-tot-dep-732320

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