Bicycles for Humanity

Pat Montani poses with children while visiting a chief to talk about Bicycles for Humanity in the Karamoja region of Northern Uganda, at a village just outside of Montany. Photo by Pat Montani

“B Love, B Hope, B Change, Bicycles for Humanity” is no empty slogan at Bicycles for Humanity (B4H). This grassroots movement is the largest of its kind in the world, shipping more than 100,000 used bicycles to Africa over the past 10 years through its 55 global chapters.

Pat Montani, a successful Vancouver-based telecom executive, created B4H after making a startling discovery. “More than 10 million bikes are discarded each year in the developing world,” said Montani. “We found a way to take a small percentage of those old bikes and give them new life.”

Outside the village of Abim, Ugnada, Pat Montani speaks with a teacher who recieves a bike from B4H. Photo by Pat Montani

B4H has no central office, does no advertising, and has no overhead, relying instead on a network of local chapters in eight countries, whose volunteers collect used bicycles for shipment to community-based groups primarily in Uganda, South Africa, and Namibia. Up to 500 mountain bikes are loaded into shipping containers retrofitted as bike shops. Once they arrive at their destinations, the containers become Bicycle Empowerment Centres, used to train locals in bike mechanics and other employable skills.

“Outside of Africa, we don’t realize how a simple bicycle can change lives,” said Montani. “People travel four times the distance in the same time as walking, and carry more goods to sell at market. Students get to school faster, with less fatigue and more time to study. Healthcare workers reach patients more quickly, saving more lives. All because of the bicycle.”

This article is part of our week-long coverage of global bike-based organizations changing the world two wheels at a time. Check out 10 Great Cycling Organizations to see more of their inspiring wok.