Rockville cyclists send 200,000th donated bike to developing communities in need

ROCKVILLE, Md. — When bike enthusiast Keith Oberg founded Rockville's Bikes for the World in 2005, he was in search of a practical way to put discarded and donated bikes to use. He settled on finding a way to help mostly rural people in developing nations empower themselves with cheap, carbon-free transportation.

Nearly 20 years later, Bikes for the World is sending its 200,000th donated bike to a recipient. 

The bike is expected to be loaded into a shipping container with hundreds of other bikes Saturday at the Bikes for the World warehouse at in the 11000 block of Parklawn Dr in Rockville. The container will be heading for Costa Rica.

Bikes for the world sends bicycles donated in the D.C. area to other countries including the Philippines, El Salvador, Barbados, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina-Faso, Madagascar and Rwanda.

Along the way, thousands of volunteers -- including Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky -- have helped with the mission. Ledecky helped when she was a student at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda.

Bikes for the World Executive Director Taylor Jones said the 200,000th donation is an important milestone.

“For me, it's not about the number, it's about the impact and what that really means," Jones said.

Jones recalled visiting teachers in Sierra Leone and Ghana who explained the importance of transportation to keeping children in school, particularly young girls.

"They told me we have kids who are getting up at 4 a.m. to walk three hours to school," the director said. 

Jones explained bicycles will make it more likely that students will  stay in school, while giving them more time at home to study and contribute to the family.

"It's like it's the family SUV," Jones said. "It's a school bus. It's how you get your goods to market." 

Volunteers at Bikes for the World are cycling evangelists eager to talk about the recycled, carbon-free transportation they are providing for people around the world to do better for themselves. 

“Here in America, we think the bicycle is a toy," said retired logistics consultant Jeff Colaianai, who traveled in East Africa during his career to help the U.S. deliver aid during the AIDS crisis. "When you get overseas in a lot of places, it's the way you live." 

Retired USDA scientist Walter Mulbry said bikes can change people's lives.

“Each one of these is a liberation for somebody," Mulbry said.

Bikes for the World also ships parts and trains mechanics in recipient nations to make sure the donated bikes stay in service.   Some of the new mechanics are women who are empowered by starting their own businesses, said Yvette Hess, who has volunteered at Bikes for the World for 14 years.

"I like putting people on bikes," Hess said. "But when I found out the impact that it has, that it's not just about riding bikes, [but] it's about giving a young girl hope for the future, keeping her in school, giving her a job that she never thought was possible, that was inspirational to me.”

Bikes for the World accepts donations at its Rockville headquarters and also through a network of bike shops and other organizations throughout the region.  A list of locations is on the organization's website.