Bicycle rescue: Mönchengladbach donates old bikes for Africa!

Bicycle rescue: Mönchengladbach donates old bikes for Africa!

at the central bus station (ZOB) in Mönchengladbach were old bicycles for years and their remains. This situation was a problem due to the renovation of the ZOB. New AG was therefore looking for a sustainable solution instead of simply disposing of the old bicycles. The specialist officer of New AG, Lutz Löh, turned to the Deutsche Bundesbahn to obtain information about dealing with the bicycles.

As part of their research, they came across the Velafrica association, which collects old bicycles, repaired and transported to Africa. These bicycles get to school children, market women and small business owners. Velafrica cooperates with volunteers, social providers and correctional facilities in order to cover the need for bicycles in Africa and at the same time offer people the opportunity to train as a bicycle mechanic.

club work and bike handover

After the bicycles on the zoB were first fenced and given their owners with a call, the owners had a deadline to report. Some bicycles were even picked up after submission of proof of ownership. In a subsequent phase, the remaining bicycles remained stored for six months. Ultimately, around 50 bicycles came to Velafrica successfully and were handed over to the correctional facility (JVA) Aachen, which works closely with the club.

Velafrica publishes annually that around 25,000 bicycles are shipped to Africa. Once there, the bicycles are repaired in special centers and made available to humans. This procedure enables not only the mobility of the recipients, but also the training of new specialists in the field of bicycle mechanics.

highly interesting local initiative

So far, the commitment in Mönchengladbach has not been limited to the ZOB. In the Hockstein district, Josef Jacobs, who inherited a large farm from his parents, initiated concepts for the bicycle collection. In mid -May, he found that five bicycles were stored in his former barn and the number of bicycles cast rapidly climbed. Hundreds of old bicycles, including women's, men's and children's bicycles, were given by people from the area.

The large number of bicycles collected makes it increasingly difficult to enter the farm. Jacobs personally picked up more than 100 bicycles from the casters. This local initiative impressively shows how important the repair and reuse of bicycles is and reflects the growing awareness of sustainable solutions in Mönchengladbach.