Successfully concluded
We delivered 1000 Bicycles
What is the project about?
Fundación Tejedores de Sueños together with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) present «Al Cole en Bici», a project with one goal in mind: «that nobody is left behind.»
About 53.000 teenagers in Costa Rica should be in secondary school, but aren’t registered in any. Often, the long distance to school and the lack of other accessible transportation are a determining factor for not going.Considering moreover the new law of Mobility and Cycling Security, which promotes human health – especially during the coronavirus pandemic, when taking public transportation is not advised – and care for the environment through the use of bicycles instead of motorized vehicles, our Foundation is not staying behind.
Through the joint action of the ‘Friends of Fundación Tejedores de Sueños’ team around Prof. Désiré Collen and Dr. Urbain Boutelegier in Belgium, and of us here in Costa Rica, we want to obtain 1000 bicycles so young people of rural areas with a high risk of abandoning their studies can cycle to school. The bicycles will be donated to rural schools chosen by the Ministry of Public Education, who will in turn lend them to students who need them and sign a contract for the proper use and care of the bicycle during their secondary studies. After that, the bicycle will be loaned to another student.
Each bicycle, with helmet, repair kit, pump and security vest costs about $150. Will you also help us to reach our goal?
Be a true “influencer”: help changing a young person’s life.
How will the beneficiaries be chosen?
The delivery of bicycles will be defined by a thorough selection that will be made in conjunction with the Boards of Education of each of the selected Schools, according to the previous study of the UPRE. The UPRE has 27 Regional Teams for Permanence, one in each Regional Education Board, which allows to know first hand the problem that afflicts each region and the factors and causes of exclusion in a contextualized way.
There will be 63 Public Education Centers selected with a higher exclusion rate, prioritized by UPRE, located in rural areas, or that have morphological or access characteristics for the use of bicycles. Then, in each of these centers, students who are at greater risk of being excluded from the education system due to lack of accessibility, preferably located at the 7th and 8th grade levels and who, in this way, deliver the concession of bicycles to the ideal people for the project.
Road Safety and Maintenance
Students will receive, not only the bicycle, but also a necessary Maintenance Kit and clothing such as helmets and vests. Once chosen, students will carry out an education process on vital issues for the proper use of the equipment, such as Road Safety and preventive maintenance of the bicycle.