World Bicycle Relief – Mobilized Communities Impact Evaluation

Decision-maker’s challenge

More than one billion people live in rural, isolated areas in low-income countries, and this problem is particularly pronounced in Africa, where 70% of the rural population lack access to reliable, safe, and affordable transportation. Transportation challenges contribute to a myriad of negative socioeconomic outcomes. For instance, marginalized/vulnerable individuals without access to transportation may struggle to reach healthcare facilities, resulting in delayed treatment and worsened health outcomes. Students may find it difficult to attend school regularly, which can hinder their educational progress and future employment prospects. Limited access to markets can restrict economic opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty.

To improve transportation options and associated socioeconomic outcomes for remote communities, governments have invested in a variety of large public works projects, including building new roads, bridges, railways, bus networks, and other types of infrastructure. However, these projects are extremely costly, and many of the most isolated communities are in countries with limited sources of domestic revenue and high levels of government debt that constrain further spending. In such environments, a more targeted approach that increases mobility for the individuals and communities with the highest need may be the most cost-effective solution to reducing transportation poverty in the medium-term.

Impact opportunity

This study evaluates one such targeted approach involving distributing bicycles to poor rural households. The program was implemented by World Bicycle Relief (WBR), an NGO that owns 100% of Buffalo Bicycle Limited, a non-profit social enterprise with a retail network in Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. WBR sells and donates Buffalo Bicycles to students, health workers, and entrepreneurs in low-income regions to expand access to education, markets, health facilities, and other vital services.

Prior studies of the effects on bicycle distribution have largely focused on educational outcomes. An RCT of WBR’s education program in Zambia found that girls who were offered bicycles were 19% less likely to drop out of school, scored higher on a mathematics assessment test, were 28% less likely to be absent, and were 66% more likely to arrive at school on time (Fiala et al. 2022). A quasi-experimental evaluation of a similar bicycles program in India found similar effects (Muralidharan and Prakash, 2017). However, limited evidence exists on the economic effects of bicycle distribution to adults.

WBR has been operating in Zambia since 2007 and started implementing the Mobilized Communities (MC) program, which is the focus of this study, in Mumbwa District in 2021. The MC program aims to build sustainable bicycle ecosystems in rural communities to improve access to education, healthcare, and livelihoods, especially for women and girls. In 2023, 1,009 bicycles were distributed in Mumbwa district as part of the MC program.

IDinsight partnered with WBR to conduct an impact evaluation to estimate the causal impact of the MC program on economic outcomes, including household consumption, income, savings, improved productivity, and empowerment measures. During this one-year evaluation, Zambia experienced its worst drought in over four decades, and communities across the country faced a severe humanitarian crisis, with widespread crop failures and critical shortages in food. Mumbwa, where this study took place, was one of 27 significantly affected districts. Thus, our evaluation sheds light on the potential for bicycles to protect or improve livelihoods in the context of extreme environmental and economic shocks.

Our approach

To estimate the impact of the MC program, we designed and conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The study sample consisted of members of livelihoods groups (LGs) – including village savings and loan associations, co-operatives, women’s clubs, and youth clubs – as well as community service workers (CSWs) in the health, environment and agriculture sectors. We randomized LGs and CSWs into treatment and control groups; 1,297 LG members from 120 LGs and 273 CSWs, or 1,570 respondents in total, participated in the study. Individuals in the treatment group received a bicycle in 2023, whereas individuals in the control group did not receive a bicycle. Control group program participants will receive bicycles after the completion of the study.

We conducted a baseline in May/June 2023, prior to bicycle distribution in July 2023. Endline data was collected one year later, in May and June 2024, to measure the program’s outcomes and impact. We collected data on several outcomes, including: individual and household productivity, household welfare and well-being, access to health services and livelihoods activities, and empowerment and social capital of women. 

The results