Access to Affordable Bicycles in Lebanon

BACKGROUND

With the current economic crisis as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, mobility in Lebanon has been disrupted. The suspension of public transport and lock down measures means many people in Lebanon now face the challenge of financial and physical immobility.  This includes workers like doctors, nurses, army, supermarket staff among others who need to continue to commute to get to work and others who need to access essential shops and services.

With the financial crisis, dollar shortages, and the loss of value of the lira,  bicycles prices in LBP have increased and become unaffordable for many, whereas the need for them has increased.  Meanwhile many people have lost their jobs, or the value of their salaries has decreased dramatically.

HOW IT WORKS

We're raising funds to help facilitate access to low cost bicycles to those who cannot afford a bike. Your donation will help subsidise the cost of a bicycle for someone who needs it. 

Our aim is to support each identified individual with a subsidy of around 100 USD to support their bike purchase (paid directly to bike sellers), however, this will depend on the total donations we receive.


WHO WILL BENEFIT

As a first stage, we are prioritising people who contacted The Chain Effect for support with access to a bicycle. We launched a survey earlier this month to understand the current demand for bikes, and 40 survey respondents have been selected based on needs and economical situation. The survey also helped us determine how much people are able to pay for a bike, and therefore how much we would need to subsidise to make it affordable.

Our next step is to work with a partner NGO to direct us to individuals in need. We are liaising with two NGOS that support disadvantaged youth with accessing the labour market to formalise this. 


WHO ARE WE?

The Chain Effect is an organisation that promotes and facilitates the bicycle as a sustainable means of transport in Beirut through street art, community projects, interventions and planning. 

We organise the yearly Bike to Work campaign in Lebanon, giving people a chance to experience cycling in Lebanese cities as a means of getting around. Due to extraordinary circumstances in 2020 and the great need that exists, we decided to gear the campaign towards a longer term project to support people in need.

YOUR DONATION

We will share details of how each of your donations was used to create the freedom of mobility for someone else.

For more information about the campaign, please visit our website: https://thechaineffect.me/bike-donations/.
If you have a used bike that you would like to donate you can also do it through the website or on the following form: https://forms.gle/2cm5PizZiTsEVZWD7  

If you are interested in cash donations in Lebanon, please contact Nadida on 03 168 746.


Thank you so much! Your support will make a big difference :)