How Volkswagen Is Encouraging Education In South Africa?

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Recently, Volkswagen donated more than 600 bicycles to the students of over 11 rural schools across the Nkonkobe district in Eastern Cape. This initiative was a Volkswagen and its partners World Vision Switzerland, World Vision South Africa and Qhubeka.

 

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The BEEP Initiative

This donation has increased the number of bicycles sponsored by Volkswagen to 1100 that were offered to rural schools in the region in the last 2 months. In April, over 500 bicycles were handed over to 9 rural schools in Umzimkhulu,KwaZulu-Natal. According to recent reports, it was found that almost 11 million kids of the approximate 17 million school children across South Africa, walk to their schools every day. Around 500,000 of these children walk more than 6 km or an hour to school. The huge walking distance which the learners need to commute every day is believed to be one of the prime reasons from rising rate of school dropouts in rural areas, specifically fro girl students.

The BEEP (Bicycle Education EmpowermentProgramme) was originally started by World Bicycle Relief in Zambia in 2009. The programme established that bicycles are an affordable, reliable and safe transportation mode for the students. BEEP was introduced in South Africa in 2013 by Qhubeka in association with World Vision South Africa. Since then, more than 8100 bicycles have already been donated across 5 provinces.

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Encouraging Education 

Thomas Schaefer, Managing Director ofVolkswagen Group South Africa, said “Education is one of our key pillars in our quest to be a company with meaning and impact through our Corporate Social Investment initiatives under the banner of Volkswagen for Good. As the maker of people’s car, we are passionate about South Africa. This drives us to working towards making a sustainable difference in the fight against poverty and community upliftment.”

He further added “Through our partnership with Qhubeka and World Vision South Africa, we seek to make a small difference but with big impact on the lives of young boys and girls in the most rural parts of our country. We are very hopeful that these bicycles will change the learners’ approach to their schooling and encourage them to work harder to be the best that they want to be.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Qhubeka as both establishments are primarily focused on helping African students access learning opportunities in an easier and better way. Sarah Phaweni, executive director at Qhubeka, said “Qhubeka is delighted to be partnering with Volkswagen to provide access to education through bicycles to children in South Africa. Thanks to Volkswagen’s generous donation distance no longer needs to be a barrier to education for 1100 school children in Nkonkobe and Umzimkhulu. Research shows that education is an essential element in the fight to end the cycle of poverty in developing countries.” She added “With BEEP, we can make an immediate difference to school attendance as well as improve children’s well-being with reliable and affordable transportation.”

 

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Expanding Education's Reach

Each of the students are awarded a bicycle along with a helmet, combination lock, spanner, and pump. The students, as well as their parents, need to sign a contract which explains the rules and regulations for using the cycles. The bicycle will considered as the personal property of the students after the stipulated 2 years.

Paula Barnard, national director of World Vision South Africa, said “With BEEP 2015 well underway we’re undoubtedly meeting what we set out to achieve, reaching the most rural of communities to enable these children to attend school on time and so improve their overall educational outcomes.”

What are your thoughts on this? Will it encourage African learners to stay in school? Share your opinions with us by commenting here.

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