Bicycles as a Tool for Equality

I recently wrote a guest blog post for the Atma Cycles website, and I wanted to take a moment to share what this organization is, because what they're doing is important.

Atma Cycles is a non-profit, Australian bike foundation whose mission to give schoolgirls in India bicycles, and the freedom that the bicycle entails. The idea of Atma Cycles is simple - for every bike they sell, they donate a bicycle to a girl in India who can use it to get to school.

India faces a great deal of poverty as well as severe and widespread gender inequality. The bicycles given by Atma Cycles directly enable young girls to travel to school and get an education that would otherwise be inaccessible. These bikes are not just about getting to school, though. With education, these young girls now have the potential to make more money for themselves and their families, raising their standards of living. Not only that, but education, mobility, and increased wealth will help these girls combat the inequality they face daily simply because of their sex. As they grow, so will their communities.

Susan B. Anthony said it best in 1896: "Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel." This is as true in 2015 as it was then, especially in developing countries.
For more on why she said this and just how valuable the bicycle can be, this is a great article on how the bicycle helped the Women's Suffrage Movement.

To learn more, I highly recommend visiting the Atma Cycles website and reading about their mission. In particular, watch the videos from Atma founder Alex Carpenter and his father to hear how Atma Cycles got started. It's a great story, and I really admire what Alex has done.

-Keegan