Education brings a ray of hope along with opportunities and positive long-term changes. Quality education leads to a better life and a better future.

While there are many challenges in rural areas, the distance between schools and villages and the lack of reliable transportation impact many children’s education and its outcomes. 

With the focus on improving access to education that would aid the students in rural areas,  RDT started the ‘Bicycles Project’ in 2006 to provide bicycles to rural girls studying from 6th standard who had to travel more than 2 kilometres to reach school every day. With 8,565 girls benefitting through the Project till 2013, the project expanded by providing bicycles to both girls and boys in high schools.

Now, with over 1,96,834 bicycles distributed over the years till 2022-23 in Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, Kurnool, Prakasam and Krishna districts in Andhra Pradesh. The wheels of change have been running steadily and smoothly, ferrying the next generation of professionals. These two wheels aren’t just another transportation facility; when girls in groups go on cycles, both the parents and children have a sense of security. Without the tiring journey of walking to and from school or waiting for filled buses, these wheels have been aiding in creating better access to education.

Reliable transportation to school improves students’ attendance, academic performance, and enables them to attend special classes. Change is not always in big gestures or creations; it sometimes comes in simple forms with a huge capacity for improvement, like a bicycle, which wheels them into change and access education.

Text: Riya John Richard 

Images: Nuria Navarro, Rama Mohan