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INTRODUCTION OF THE BICYCLES FOR RURAL AFRICAN TRANSPORT ACT
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HON. EARL BLUMENAUER
of oregon
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act. Transportation access in the developing world is limited. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than seventy percent of people rely on walking as their primary mode of transportation. For these individuals access to a bicycle is revolutionary.
Bicycles can be impactful tools for effective foreign aid and international economic development.
Low-cost, high-impact investments in bicycles will allow us to use existing foreign aid more effectively. Many developing-world rural populations suffer from time poverty, which limits opportunities to access education, healthcare, employment and job training opportunities, and markets. By reducing time poverty, bicycle access significantly improves school attendance for rural girls. In one trial, girls with bicycles were 19 percent less likely to drop out of school.
In recent years, USAID has conducted a small rural mobility program to study the bicycle's development impacts. In Tanzania in 2019, USAID donated 2,160 bicycles to health care workers as part of AIDS treatment efforts, allowing the workers to reach more patients and reducing AIDS transmission in the area. In Malawi in 2020, USAID established a revolving loan fund to finance bicycles for workers on a sugar cane cooperative, reducing their commute times and increasing productivity.
USAID's work on this program has clearly demonstrated the value of bicycles for rural transportation in developing nations. This legislation authorizes a permanent rural mobility program at USAID which will promote rural, sub-Saharan communities' access to services and opportunities through affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles. This more systematic approach will allow USAID to maximize the potential impact of bicycle projects and ensure the United States continues utilizing this simple, revolutionary development tool.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 119(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 119(2)
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