Smoothing the Path to Progress

From the Field: Stories of Hope and Change
Name: Philbert Nsengiyumva
Age: 48
Hometown: Kinigi, Rwanda (Northern Province)
Dependents: Wife, 8 children, 1 orphan
Income before cargo bike: $852 per year
Income after using cargo bike: $1,760 per year
Target income: $2,136 in 2010 (3x per-bike annual income)

Against the majestic backdrop of the Virunga mountain chain, Philbert tends his potatoes and local plants used as natural herbicides. Waking at 5:00 AM, he pulls potatoes, loads them on his bike and makes a long, bumpy ride to the market in the hope of making a good price for his daily effort.
With responsibilities both for his birth children and an orphan they’ve taken under their family’s care, feeding the family was a relentless challenge common to subsistence farmers like Philbert who comprise 80% of Rwanda’s population. Earning enough to send his children to school was seen as out of reach.

Through the local farming cooperative, Philbert purchased a cargo bike from Project Rwanda with a micro loan from a local bank. Since owning the high-capacity bike, he’s doubled his income in the course of one year as more potatoes to market equals greater sales.

With a purpose-built bike equipped with a sturdy frame and special tires, Philbert can overcome the poor mountain roads to transport goods and take his children to school without the high cost of bus fares. “The cargo bike is best for me. It's not like the local bike. It can carry more weight, and I can use the bike to feed my family.”

Philbert now sees a hopeful future for himself and his children. He can start sending his children to school as he saves to purchase more land and build a new house to accommodate his large family. He embraces the cargo bike, and plans to embellish the paint with decorations in the local style. What’s more, he is actively recruiting his neighbors to purchase cargo bikes and helps teach them how to use the bike to create their own futures.