Why bicycles
Capacity, Time and Distance
Riding a bicycle is faster and easier than walking. In fact, you transport 5x more and travel 4x faster. Also, you reach 4x further compared to walking.
Education
A bicycle helps children to reach school faster, be more puncutal and arrive fresher. A bicycle also makes a long school journey safer, particularly for girls, increasing enrolment and attendance rates. At the end of the day, more time also means more free time for homework and leisure.
Women empowerment
Velafrica trains young girls to become bicycle mechanics. Breaking with a tabu in many regions in SSA, they serve as role models for other women to become independant enterpreneurs.
Women and girls suffer disproportaionally higher from poor transport and mobility opportunities. With a bicycle, women and girls get their lives back. They start their own business, perform better at school and face a brighter future.
Business and Income
Bicycles have the power to enable new business opportunities, increase business productivity, increase opportunities for trade or increase the delivery of extension services. This leads to new opportunites to generate regular income for households.
Healthcare
Being a fast and reliable mode of transport, bicycles improves access by the community to healthcare centers AND access by health workers to the community.
Riding a bicycle of course also gives you legs of steel, improves your well-being and keeps you fit!
Environment
A bicycle is quiet as a mouse and causes zero emissions, thus helping to slow global warming.
Savings
Bicycles are an affordable means of transport. There is no need to pay for travelling tickets or gas neither.
VBC bicycles
These are some of the bicycles currently on stock. Bicycles can be purchased in our stores and branches. For special offers or deliveries, please contact us.
VBC TEAM
We are some passionate youth with a big love for bicycles.
VBC Management, Branch Managers and Learners!
VBC Nshamba
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 8 am to 5 pm
Sunday: closed
That's where you find us
Once in Nshamba (Kagera), look out for VBC signs or Kwa Wazee
VBC in action!
VBC Branches
We have currently 3 branches
Bukoba, Muleba and Nshamba
Bukoba Branch
Uganda Road, Mina's Hamugembe, Bukoba town
Good selection of bicycles and services.
Get in touch with our staff Jadida Nuru via +255 745 044 970
Muleba Branch
Biharamulo-Bukoba road, opposite Muleba police station
Good selection of bicycles and services.
Get in touch with staff Donatila Anthony via +255 742 442 299
Bike to School Programm
With our "Bike to School Program", we support children with a 40% discount who face a long school journey of more than 2 hours on foot. So far, over 500 children have been supported with quality bicycles.
Kwa Wazee
Kwa Wazee is registered as an NGO since 2006 and supports elderly, children and people living with HIV/AIDS. Its goal is to ensure improved health and well being of beneficiaries by providing cash transfers and psycho-social support. The current support programms include cash transfers to elderly, a health programme that tries to cover various areas of care, prevention and access to health facilities and kids support groups (e.g. Tatu Tano, self-defence for girls)
In 2011 Kwa Wazee introduced a new project: the Vijana Bicycle Centre. The goal is to create income and support to children and train youth in bicycle mechanic. We want to children to create their own income and to provide bicycles of good quality from Switzerland at affordable prices to the public.
