• The bicycle donation will ease the work of the 5,000 volunteers in the country.

• The ‘Land Cruiser of the bicycle world’ is specially made for the tough terrain of rural areas.

The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has received 1,250 Buffalo bicycles from World Bicycle Relief to ease the mobility and efficiency of its volunteers and  to ease the mobility and efficiency of its volunteers and to support the humanitarian organization’s community outreach activities.

World Bicycle Relief is a philanthropic organization committed to improving bicycle infrastructure in Africa. The handover ceremony took place at the URCS headquarters in Lubaga, Kampala on April 21, 2023. The Buffalo bicycles manufactured to adapt to the African rural environment cost shs780,000 each, costing over shs900 million in total for all the bicycles.

Senior Global Director for Programmes at World Bicycle Relief, Sean Granville Ross said that Buffalo Bicycles is a wholly-owned, for-profit commercial subsidiary of World Bicycle Relief whose profits help fund their philanthropic efforts. He further explained that they are specifically made and lab-tested to withstand the challenging environment and way of life in rural Africa, adding that they have a sturdy seat with twin springs for comfort and a rear rack/carrier with a carrying capacity of over 100kg as some of its advantages.

The secretary-general of URCS, Robert Kwesiga speaking at the occasion said the bicycles will be of great use for the 5,000 volunteers who usually walk more than 10km in tough terrain with backpacks. He described the bicycles as the “Land Cruiser of the bicycle world” as they come with a five-year warranty.

Mr. Kwesiga forewarned that the bicycles should be used for the right cause in order to maximize their purpose, adding that they will be given to volunteers and staff in the field, particularly in rural areas. He said they will be branded with red and URCS initials as they will not be used for any other work apart from Red Cross. He assured, “If you find them in the wrong place, raise a flag, and we will prove that this support was not in vain”.

He further noted that the bicycles will be allocated based on needs, as more bicycles will be sent to the branches with more engaged fieldwork volunteers. According to the URCS, the bicycles will be distributed across five regional hubs including Soroti, Lira, Gulu, West Nile, and South West – Mbarara/Nakivale.

Mr. Sean also stated that they will be training mechanics to work on the bicycles and also set up spare part shops to ensure available in locations where the volunteers are. “This will create opportunities for the young people to train as mechanics and also work in the shops”, he said. 

Currently, URCS, the largest humanitarian organization in Uganda, has about 51 branches and 500,000 registered members and volunteers nationwide with 15 million beneficiaries.