Multiplying a Better Future with Bikes

Name: Isaac Nzabalinda
Age: 49
Hometown: Kinigi, Rwanda (Northern Province)
Dependents: Wife, six children -- ages 6-27
Income before cargo bike: $12,500
Income after using cargo bike: $21,400 (after 11 months of ownership)
Target income: $27,000

As an older farmer with a large family, Isaac has done well financially in spite of the constant pressures of subsistence farming. With three hard-won hectares of land being farmed, he beat the odds and was able to send all six of his children to school.

Isaac first heard about Project Rwanda through district officials in the northern province of Musanze where he resides. As a community leader and head of the farmer's union, Isaac was one of the first to see the Project Rwanda cargo bike. He immediately recognized the bike’s potential for transforming the farming community.

Isaac became an advocate of bike ownership, even assisting others in completing the micro-loan process. New to group lending but no stranger to working with banks, he embraced the challenge because he realized “the importance to work together to make payments on time – everyone was each others security.”

Rather than relying on others to transport crops from the farm to his local produce stand, Isaac’s family can carry bigger loads in less time while saving on delivery costs. Fetching water and grass for his cows is easier, and the bike hauls milk to neighbors for additional income.

Within the next few years, Isaac plans to purchase an additional four hectares of land and experiment with new crops to boost his annual income. A brighter future for his children remains his central goal as he continues to educate his fellow farmers on the life-changing benefits of cooperatives and cargo bikes.