On Dec. 11, the Sixth Annual Collection of Wheels to Africa ensued at Langley High School with hopes of exceeding a previous record of 1,000 donated bikes in single day. Wheels to Africa, a nonprofit organization working to collect and ship bicycles to underprivileged African communities, attracted nearly fifty volunteers with the help of Langley’s Key Club.
Once bike donations were intermittently dropped off, Langley students and community members alike participated in dismantling pedals and other bulky parts so that they could be easily stacked.
“The flattened bicycles are packed inside storage space until enough donations are received, and are later transported inside containers aboard ships,” said a WTA sponsor.
Upon their arrival in Uganda, Kenya, or Tanzania this summer, they will be distributed to orphanages and schools, where individuals lack substantial transportation to reach their classrooms, medical care, and food sources.
“There are kids out there who walk five miles each day just to get to school,” said the sponsor.
Wheels to Africa hosted collection sites not only at Langley, but at eight other locations simultaneously across the D.C. metro area as well. Behind the events was founder Winston Duncan, a junior at T.C. Williams High School who initiated Wheels to Africa at age 10.
“When I went to Africa, I felt like I went 50 years into the past because of all the trash, pollution and overall lack of the necessities of life,” said Duncan on the Wheels to Africa website. “In reality though, it was only a 16 hour plane ride.”
After working from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Langley volunteers felt the benefits of a day’s worth of community service. “I’m definitely inspired to travel to Africa now, especially because a number of experiences like Wheels to Africa have caused me to think about what I want to do with my life,” said Langley junior Kimiya Haghighi. “I feel uplifted to know that kids somewhere else in the world, who do not have so many of the necessities that we have here, are being helped.”
Since 2005, Wheels to Africa has assembled over 2,000 bikes and will continue to be promoted by Langley High School’s Key Club every winter season.
“Africans need your help,” said Duncan. “If we can give up some of the extra we have in our lives, we will see that we get back a lot more than what we gave up.”
Please visit www.wheels-to-africa.org for more information or to donate.