Thousands of bicycles donated to African nation
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Bikes for Lesotho has sent 4,500 bicycles to the Kingdom of Lesotho, helping children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis in the small African nation.
Wednesday, volunteers from Christopher Burke Engineering teamed up with the organization to prepare another 500 bicycles for shipment.
Dave Gorman, who served in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, created Bikes for Lesotho with the hope of making orphans smile.
He says as an added bonus, more kids have been able to travel efficiently. That means in Lesotho's rural areas kids can complete their household duties and still have time for an education.
Bikes for Lesotho is supported by the Working Bikes cooperative, a shop that "rescues discarded bicycles and gives them new life by redistributing them as tools of empowerment in local and global communities."
Working Bikes sends 6,000 bikes world-wide each year, with an addition 1,500 donated locally.
