Wirral charity ships more than 300 bikes to The Gambia
Pioneer People, a local charity which works internationally to help set up sustainable businesses and export aid, launched a new shipment of 320 bikes this month, to be sold at affordable prices to a small community in The Gambia.
The team has a deal with Merseyside Police to take any bicycles which are stolen, lost or confiscated. After receiving the bikes, Pioneer People sends them to be fixed up by inmates at a workshop in HMP Risley in Cheshire.
After going through a rigorous repair process, the bikes are stored in Irby before being loaded into 40-foot containers, along with barrels full of tools, to be shipped to a charity in The Gambia.
The most recent shipment of 320 bikes was taken on September 2. Containers from Pioneer People are driven by lorry and usually depart from Port of Tilbury or, sometimes, Liverpool.
Founder Mark Johnston showed the Globe the most recent shipment before it was taken. He explained how the initiative came about.
Mark said: “We worked in Albania for years , but it’s back on it’s feet financially – we don’t need to work there anymore.”
The charity began working in Morocco, working with an orphanage, setting up disabled centres and even helping children achieve Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) awards.
After Morocco, they shifted their focus to The Gambia: “A small country, English speaking and desperately poor”.
Mark visited the country with a trustee and they identified a community to invest in. They decided to provide adult bikes for sale to assist people with long-distance travel to work and market.
Pioneer People do not provide children’s bikes as only adult bikes have a commercial value.
Mark said: “People are dirt poor – they won’t be buying kids bikes. Adult bikes means they can get to places of work, they can go to market, all sorts of stuff. They’re a really good commodity.
“And because their Western bikes – the standard of second-hand Western bikes, compared to a dirt-cheap new Chinese bike – people plump for these morning, noon and night.
The bikes are passed to a charity in The Gambia, which pays the £5000 shipping cost. Part of Pioneer People’s philosophy is empowering communities to build stronger economies.
Mark said: “Giving stuff away for free just doesn’t benefit them at all; they become a charity case. Whereas if they’re a partner and they pay their way, there’s a real dignity and they put the hard work in to get them sold.
“It works incredibly well.”
A shipping container arrived at the car park
Pioneer People work with a trusted partner which Mark says has “never missed a payment” in ten years. Trustees from the charity also visit The Gambia to ensure everything is working smoothly.
The charity also operates Hope Library in Pensby and recently took over Irby Library.
Founded in 2002, Pioneer People has worked with communities across the globe, working with local partners in Merseyside and international projects in Albania, Angola, Morocco, Romania, India, Kenya and The Gambia.
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