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Prodigal Bikes - Sending bikes to Africa
Prodigal Bikes is a charity that brings hope and changes lives in both Africa and the UK.
Why “Prodigal” Bikes? In the Bible, Luke Ch. 15 vs 11-32 is a story Jesus told about a father who welcomes his wayward (Prodigal) son back into his family, giving him a second chance in life.
In the UK we refurbish bikes donated to us, teaching engineering skills and giving work experience to those who need that second chance. These bikes are then either shipped to Africa or given to refugees and asylum seekers here in the UK.
In Africa our bikes are used by patients to access healthcare, and by school children and teachers to get to schools. We also provide tools, spare parts and training to keep the bikes working.
Please browse our website to see what we do, who we help and how you can get involved.
HOW COULD YOU HELP?
We are a non-profit organization, and rely on volunteers and donations to help us make a difference to people’s lives. If you would like to volunteer, make a donation or organise a charity event please get in touch we’d love to hear from you.
Latest Prodigal Bikes News
Back in July, you may remember, we sent a container full of bikes and tools out to Tanzania. The container ran into some big problems in the port at Dar, with the tax charges and port fees, back at the start of October. Our efforts to resolve things were going nowhere. We had a trip booked to give the bikes out at the end of November.![]()
Nothing for it but to fly out anyway, trust in the Lord and get things moving.![]()
So, Anthony Raybould from PB and Jamie Bachelor from Taunton Welcomes Refugees are spending every day in the offices of the Tax people and various shipping agents. We have the charges minimised and hope to have the container delivered next week.![]()
In the meantime, we have been out and about soaking up the amazing atmosphere and sights of this young, dynamic and fast growing city. Here are some photos of the trip so far.
A big couple of days for Prodigal Bikes yesterday and today. We loaded up 58 bikes, plus lots of bike spares and tools, and carpentry and tailoring tools donated by Tool Aid Ringwood, then drove it all the way to the Grammer School at Leeds, up in Yorkshire. Many of these bikes have been prepared by our students from Yeovil College, The Hub Yeovil and Horizons. A big thankyou to Changing Stars Malawi and the The Zikomo Trust for letting us squeeze our stuff into a massive shipping container. The container will now be shipped to Biera, Mozambique, before the overland trip to Malawi. Our bikes will go to the Hooke Court in Malawi project in Bandawe where the bikes will be given to the teachers in the area that we haven't been able to supply with bikes yet.