150 Camsur School Kids to receive bikes for school from DepEd, San Miguel Foundation and Bikes for the Philippines Foundation
Buhi, Camarines Sur, 10 May 2017. – More than 100 school kids from Pili, Camarines Sur will be receiving a bike to school from Bikes for the Philippines Foundation, San Miguel Foundation and the Department of Education (DepEd), during bike turnover ceremonies at San Vicente National High School in Pili, Camarines Sur on 15 May 2017.
“We are happy to be partners with the Department of Education and San Miguel Foundation to help students of Pili, Camarines Sur get a free, fast and safe way to get to school. We hope that the bikes can help them complete their education and give them a better chance in life,” said Joel Uichico, Bikes for the Philippines Foundation founder.
Bikes for the Philippines Foundation is a non-profit foundation that provides bicycles to poor school kids who have to walk at least 3 kilometers to get to school. It is a partner of the Deped for its Pedals and Paddles Project under the Adopt-A-School program. San Miguel Foundation Inc. is one of the private sector partners of the project that have funded bicycles for this school.
“We are thankful to be a recipient school for the 150 bikes for our students. The selected students travel long distances just to get to school. These bikes would definitely help our students get faster to school, have time to help their parents for house chores and do homework when they get home,” said Ruby Precilla Pan, Senior High School Specialist, Deped Camarines Sur.
The DepEd Pedals and Paddles Project was launched in 2015, which aims to stop kids from dropping out from school, by providing them an easier and faster way to go to school.
Under this project the bikes are turned over to schools and lent to students as bike loans. To ensure that students use the bikes properly, students are taught basic biking rules, road safety guidelines and bike repair and maintenance. They are required to stay in school during the whole bike loan period. Full ownership of bikes are given to students after graduating from high school.
“It’s heartbreaking that not all school kids have ready or easy access to school. In remote communities, they have to walk for miles, wade through rivers, or even swim to the next island, just to be able to attend school. This is difficult for their frail bodies and many of them often lose interest in going to school. With these bikes we want to empower them to become more productive members of the community by helping them finish their education,” said Uichico.
Since its humble beginnings in 2013, Bikes for the Philippines has served 11 communities all over of the Philippines, 200 of its bikes beneficiaries have graduated from high school, with over 500 bike beneficiaries currently enrolled in its bike donation program. It has four adopted schools: Concepcion Integrated School Fatima National High School and Lourdes National High School in Bohol and the Regional Lead School for the Arts, Angono, Rizal.
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Bikes for the Philippines Foundation launch Kapit-Bisikleta Volunteer program
Angono, Rizal, March 2017. – Education nonprofit Bikes for the Philippines Foundation (BfPF) has launched its Kapit-Bisikleta volunteer program at its bike turn-over ceremonies at the Angono Regional High School for the Arts.
“We are happy to be launching the Kapit-Bisigkleta Volunteer program where everybody can share what they can to get kids to school. Through the volunteer program, everybody can find a way to help out, whether through donations, training or volunteering,” said Joel Uichico, Bikes for the Philippines founder and program director.
Based on the concept of Kapit-Bisig which means to join in arms, the Kapit-Bisikleta program seeks to bring together public and private sector partners, donors and individuals in resource sharing for bikes for school kids.
Bikes for the Philippines Foundation is a non-profit foundation that provides bicycles to poor school kids who have to walk at least 3 kilometers to get to school. Since its launch in 2013, BFPF has more than 100 graduates, 18 beneficiary schools all over the country and over 500 beneficiary students currently enrolled on the program.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear the stories of the thousands of kids who have to wake up at the wee hours in the morning and walk far distances in rough roads just to attend to school. Most of them even have to tend to house chores before they leave for school. By the time they get to school they would be too tired to learn their lessons,” shared Uichico.
Based on an initial assessment of DEPED, more than 40,000 students in grade school and high school need bikes to get to school.
“We need donations and volunteer services that everybody can share to help our school kids get bikes and road safety training to get to school. There is nothing more fulfilling than giving a child a bike to get to school and giving him an opportunity to have a better life,” said Uichico.
Volunteers to the Kapit-Bisig program can choose to volunteer their services for bike retrofitting, bike training and inventory services for the deployment of bikes. For bike retrofitting, bike mechanics are needed who can help fix brakes and wheels for deployment of bikes. Bike training volunteers need to have a bike, has the patience to teach kids to bike and are willing to travel to the bike donation sites. Volunteers can also choose to donate to the foundation for the purchase of bikes, bike parts and accessories for the beneficiaries.
For more information on how to join the Kapit-Bisikleta program, interested volunteers and donors can email at bikesforthephilippines@gmail.com or visit their website at www.bikesforthephilippines.ph.
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Bikes for the Philippines was created when Founder and Program Director Joel Uichico, a sports professional and businessman, noticed school children walking by the roadside in the town of Baclayon, on the island of Bohol. He discovered they were traveling long distances over unsafe terrain – walking well over an hour, and up to 7 kilometers per way, everyday – just to get to school. After seeing their plight and checking with the school principals on the status of the students Joel was inspired to make a difference and thought of a way to help out. With the help of his cousin Jo Grant who was based in the US, he coordinated with Bikes for the World for the donation of bikes for Baclayon National High School and for other beneficiary schools. More than 200 bikes were received for the first donation shipment. From its pilot project of providing bikes to poor kids in Baclayon National High School in Bohol, the program has expanded to a national program co-managed with the Department of Education (DEPED) under the Pedals and Paddles Program in 2015.
For more information on this press release, you may contact Ms. Linartes Viloria at press@bikesforthephilippines.ph.