Johannesburg – As the maker of people’s cars’, Volkswagen puts people at the heart of what we do, by playing a vital role in driving people forward. „Under the banner of ‘Volkswagen for Good’, we seek to provide motion with meaning to South Africans. Through Volkswagen’s partnership with Qhubeka, we continue to transform hope into reality with the simple gift of bicycles,“ said Thomas Schaefer , Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA).
Through Volkswagen’s Blue Bikes project (Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme) and the continued partnership with Qhubeka, an organisation that provides custom-made bicycles to improve communities access to schools, jobs and clinics), Volkswagen aims to make a positive and tangible difference in communities. Volkswagen’s return to Alexandra to distribute more bicycles with Qhubeka and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is key to continuing the relationship with these communities.
The 300 bicycles distributed will help schoolchildren to travel more easily to and from school, improve the community policing forum (CPF) volunteers’ ability to do visible security patrols in the area, and enable healthcare workers to service more households daily that care for the infirm and assist with medical defaulter tracing.
Last year more than 90 bicycles were distributed to schoolchildren, health workers and CPF community members in Alexandra. „We’re so pleased that the partnership between the organisations has enabled us to give back, once again to this deserving community,“ added Schaefer.
The bicycles have been funded through a Rand-for-Rand matching mechanism, whereby VWSA matches funds from CoJ. VWSA is a long-term supporter of Qhubeka and have funded more than 2 000 bicycles in
24 schools throughout South Africa that are part of Qhubeka’s education programmes.
„Through partnerships like this one, we continue to see invaluable examples of how bicycles can help to transform communities, we hope to not only mobilise South African communities, but help ensure a better future for all who live in the country,“ concluded Schaefer.