Bikes for Zambia: A Campaign for Literacy
Bikes to Zambia Campaign: How Friends Committees of the MST can contribute?
1. Introduction: Internationalist Brigade Samora Machel at Zambia
2. Literacy and agroecology campaign for young people and adults
3. The "Bicycles for Zambia" donation campaign
1. Introduction: Internationalist Brigade Samora Machel at Zambia
The Via Campesina Samora Machel Internationalist Brigade is a collective of Brazilian activists that since 2008 has been working on the African continent, in partnership with local associations of rural and urban workers.
Since 2017, Brigada Samora Machel has been working in Zambia, in partnership with Foundations in the fields of agroecology, women's organization, popular health and youth and adult literacy. These activities have been carried out on the outskirts of cities and rural villages in different provinces.
2. Literacy and agroecology campaign for young people and adults
Since July 2019, an organization of a literacy campaign has been founded, organized by a collective formed by the Brigada Samora Machel, popular educators and Brazilian university professors and militant professors from the Foundation for Education of Zambia. The three collectives work together both in the elaboration of an education method based on Paulo Freire's pedagogical theory, as in the successful experiences carried out in Latin America and some African countries.
Currently, due to the corona virus pandemic and sanitary conditions in the country, where only 48% of the population has access to drinking water and 54% live in extreme poverty, we are prioritized actions in the area of agroecology and literacy that will be our strategic focus in the next period, as 55.3% of the country's population is illiterate.
We currently have more than 120 teachers working voluntarily in 7 provinces involving around 3,800 literacy students. But the goal is to reach 10,500 students across the country and receiving the bicycles would be essential to ensure the completion of this process. Contributing to Zambian families' access to the human right to read and write.
3. The "Bicycles for Zambia" donation campaign
The collective challenge is to create a teaching method that can literate 10,500 people in Zambia. The long distances (which can vary between 15, 25 or 30 km) traveled by students to attend classes is a difficulty that also implies the work of teachers and coordinators to teach their classes and monitor the teaching process and learning. Such limits are configured as concrete needs that the use of bicycles could solve.
To support the agroecology literacy and training program, setting the goal of bringing 10,500 bicycles to Zambia by the year 2021.
To this end, we have proposed two ways to bring bicycles to Zambia:
- by purchasing bicycles (new or used), which arrive directly in Zambia; and
- by sending used bicycles through private institutions (foundations, NGOs) or public bodies (local governments, municipalities, etc.).
In both cases, we need funding. In the first case, to buy the bicycles and make them enter the country. In the second case, to cover the various costs: freight, shipping, storage, as well as the possible costs of carrying used bicycles.
To make ends meet, we are launching a funding campaign through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/cd3e50f0. These funds will be paid to the Democratic Endorsement Foundation Limited, which will be responsible for administering the financial resources raised by the campaign to obtain bicycles and bring them to Zambia.
We need the active participation of solidarity organizations, MST Friends Groups and social groups from all over the world! How can you support the "Bicycles for Zambia" campaign?
A. Articulating popular movements and organizations policies of their countries in the collection and donation of 10,000 used bicycles that will be shipped to Zambia.
B. Publicizing the crowdfunding campaign "Bicycles for the Zambia" on GoFundMe;
C. With the obtaining of financial resources that can be awarded to the "Bicycles for Zambia" campaign
D. Establishing contact with public or private entities that can have bicycles (new or used) and that be willing to donate them for a good cause
E. Actively disseminating, promoting and communicating the materials from the "Bicycles for Zambia" campaign
At the launch act, we will start the process of publicizing the bicycle campaign: socializing who are the subjects involved and the literacy campaign in Zambia. Although the participation will be expanded, it will be a short activity of 1 hour with specific targeted speeches. The aim is for organizations to become aware of the campaign and to be able to agree some details on how this could be done in their countries.
Campaign "Bicycles for Zambia" e-mail: bikesforzambia@riseup.net
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/cd3e50f0
