Her story is our story
In 2013, we endowed a bicycle to Elma, a 16-year-old girl living in the Roma communities outside of Belgrade, Serbia. Elma had just flouted her family’s wishes to marry a much older man, and had instead married her boyfriend. To earn money, Elma began renting out her new bicycle; her husband acting as mechanic. In the ensuing years Elma has grown her small endeavor into a popular bicycle bike share with dozens of bikes, fully supporting her family.
In Elma's case, an endowed bike helped launch a business. In many cases, it helps restore self-worth, like for Sreylin, a trafficking survivor who received a bike from us and participated in our dressmaking workshop in Cambodia, in 2013. For still others, like Puja in Kolkata, a bike recipient in 2017, it helps her get to the gym to pursue her dream to be a boxer.
For all of the girls, a bike is a path to joy.