Arlington Organization Collects Donated Bicycles for Africans in Need

Could you imagine what your life might be like if the only way to receive food, water and medical supplies for you and your family was by walking a considerable distance? Here in Ballston-Virginia Square, that experience may be hard to envision, but it is a reality for many people in Africa.

That's why Arlington student Winston Duncan started Wheels to Africa, an organization that works with local youth, ages 10-18, to collect bicycles and send them to charities and non-government agencies in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Recipients of the bikes use them to reach school, food, water and medical care. The organization also aims to educate children and youth about how their quality of life compares to those who do not have the same resources that they do. According to the Wheels to Africa website, the organization "strives to seed a movement of community and volunteerism, and to perpetuate a 'pass it on' commitment to help those who are less fortunate." 

Duncan's idea for Wheels to Africa took shape after a 2005 trip to southern Africa. He was moved by witnessing people walking long distances for necessities because they did not have access to cars and public transportation. He began passing out fliers and organizing events throughout the Washington area where people could bring bicycles and make donations.

Since the first bike drive that Duncan and his mother Dixie organized in December 2005, Wheels to Africa has shipped more than 2,700 new and used bikes to Africa. The 2008 drive brought in more than 1,000 bikes in one day. The donation events held at multiple locations on Saturday, Dec. 11 marked the sixth annual bike collection for the organization. Drop-off locations included Langley, South County, T.C. Williams, Washington-Lee and Yorktown High Schools and Swanson Middle School.

At the Washington-Lee event, a group of students worked intently by the school's bike rack using WD-40, wrenches and other tools to fix and adjust the donated bikes in between accepting donations and issuing receipts. About 40 or 50 bikes had been donated about halfway into the event, said Timmy Jenkins, the student coordinator for the Washington-Lee location's donation event. "A lot of us involved with this are students, but we have a lot of community support, too," he said. "We put up flyers on doors and tried to get the word out about the event."

Jenkins explained that he became involved with Wheels to Africa because he is friends with the Duncans and was looking for a project to participate in as part of a club that he and some friends started, the Community Action Club.

Up next for Wheels to Africa will be a trip to Africa in summer 2011 to see the communities where the donated bikes have gone, said Jenkins, adding that some members of the Community Action Club will probably make the trip.

In addition to new and used bikes, Wheels to Africa also accepts monetary donations. The organization suggests that a $10 donation be made with each bike to help cover the necessary shipping costs.

If you would like to read more about Wheels to Africa, make a donation (which is tax-deductible) or learn about other ways you can help, visit www.wheels-to-africa.org.