Since mid 2009, bicycles have been transported by removal company Stuttaford Van Lines, to Wildlands Conservation Trust projects all over the country, where learners are earning the bikes by growing indigenous trees.
Indigenous Trees for Life falls within the conservation NGO’s Sustainable Communities programme, affording disadvantaged people the opportunity to propagate and care for indigenous trees and trade them back to Wildlands for goods such as groceries, school uniforms, household goods, and bicycles.
The bright yellow bicycles are supplied by Wildlands in partnership with the NGO Qhubeka, an organisation dedicated to supplying bicycles into rural communities where people walk to and from school or work, up to ten kilometres each way per day.
Procurement Manager for Wildlands, Debbie Farley said: “Stuttaford Van Lines have been extremely helpful with the transporting of our yellow bikes from the Cape Town depot to Empangeni. The logistics of having some space on a lorry and then collecting the bikes and packing them so well in blankets is amazing and the bikes arrive in Empangeni still safely swaddled.”
Thousands of “tree-preneurs” have been able to trade their tree credit for bicycles; 150 trees need to be grown to a certain height to earn a bicycle. The walk to school for some can take an hour and a half each way, and now takes these learners 20 minutes on their bicycles.
Julie Munro, National Manager of Corporate Development at Stuttaford Van Lines, said: “We get many requests for sponsorships but few compare with the Wildlands Conservation Trust, with their vision of restoring and conserving our environment through their innovative tree-preneurs programme! We are happy to be able to assist wherever possible with the transport of bikes from Cape Town. A Stuttaford Van Lines staff member was privileged to visit one of the projects and was touched by the passion and excitement of all involved.”
“We hope that we can play an important supporting role in taking Wildlands forward to continue their work of sustaining our environment for future generations.” Said Munro.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)