Thane: Cyclists Group Donates Refurbished Bicycles To Tribal School Students Of Brick Kiln Workers Near Bhiwandi

Around 45 school students, who are children of brick kiln workers in Chimbipada village and surrounding hamlets near Bhiwandi in Thane district, were given refurbished bicycles on Saturday so that they do not have to trek a long distance to school.

The donation was made by cyclists group Cycle Revolution which collects unused and damaged bicycles and refurbishes them before giving the vehicles to workers and students from low-income families at discounted rates.

The bicycle distribution event

The bicycle distribution event on Saturday morning was the second such event in two years. The bicycles become a means of leisure and transport for the children, some of whom walk 2-3km to school, said Anthony Fernandes of Cycle Revolution.

“The children spend a lot of time travelling by foot. If they have cycles, the time saved can be used for studies,” said Fernandes. The students who benefitted from the donation are children of migrants from nearby tribal villages who work in brick kilns. Among the beneficiaries were around 18 girls studying in classes seven to nine.

The children came from marginalised communities

Dnyaneshwar Samewar, a teacher at the government-run Zilla Parishad school in Chimbipada, said that the children came from tribal villages like Khadki that are 45 minutes walk distance away from the school. The children are from marginalised communities like Warli and Katkari. “The children got the cycles free of cost. While most of the students were from the secondary section of the school, some were younger children,” said Sanewar.

The bicycle donation programme was facilitated by the Indian Women and Children Foundation, a non-profit based in Bhiwandi. Alankar Warghade from the group said that the children had a poor attendance record because of the long trek to school. “They often skip school because they have to walk 3-4km daily. The bicycles will be a motivation for them to attend school more regularly,” said Warghade who added the donation was funded by the philanthropic wing of a shipping company.

For the last five years, cycling enthusiasts Anthony Fernandes and his partner, who also manage a cycling retail and repairing centre by the name ‘Cycle Revolution’ in Amboli, Andheri. Last year, 50 cycles were distributed to children of brick-kiln workers in Paye and Bramhanpada villages in the same region. Cycle Revolution sells the repaired cycles at a discounted rate to recover the cost of refurbishing and transporting the vehicles.

Cycle Revolution has also collected push strollers, tricycles, wheelchairs, clothes and toys. Refurbished cycles are sold at discounted prices ranging between Rs250 and 2,500.