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Lives Are Touched by Our Projects!
Sophie, a participant in FAR’s “Bicycles for Rimkieta” program, vanished without a trace in April 2024. Now, more than a year later, she’s suddenly back in touch.
At 32, Sophie was the second wife in a polygamous Muslim household. She had a son from a previous relationship and shared a home with her husband and his first wife, who had two children. She reached out to FAR asking for a bicycle; As a traveling hairdresser, a bike would let her cover more ground with less effort, and expand her client base. Riding rather than walking would also make it easier to fulfil her daily chore of fetching water for the family.
After a detailed review of her situation and needs through our selection process, Sophie walked away from FAR one morning in January 2024 with a big smile and a new bike.
Beneficiaria de una bici saliendo de la FAR
She kept up with her payments punctually for the first few months. In April, though, she stopped. Following our standard procedure, we tried to reach her when the first payment was missed. Calls went unanswered—her phone was dead. We then contacted her “moral guarantors” (people close to her who commit to encourage her to make her payments, but who are not responsible to cover them for her), but they had no news of her either. When we visited to her home, her ‘co-wife’ told us that she’d slipped away one night with her few belongings—and the bike—without a trace. After months of searching with no luck, we had to write off her debt and consider the bicycle lost.
FAR’s “Bicycles for Rimkieta” initiative is all about getting quality bikes into the hands of women in Rimkieta to improve their lives and energize the community. Since kicking off in 2013, we’ve distributed more than 7,000 bikes, with a waiting list that never dips below 500 women. In a region with harsh weather and no public transit, bikes are a game-changer—helping kids get to school and women to tap into job opportunities. They make travel faster and easier, allowing women to travel farther, thus contributing to sustainable local development.
Guided by a commitment to empowering people to practice the values of hard work and personal responsibility, FAR does not just hand out ‘freebies’ – be they goods or services. This is why the program covers 40% of the bike’s cost, and entrusts the beneficiaries with paying off the remaining 60% over a year.
Three beneficiaries of FAR bikes
During that first year, FAR also chips in 50% for maintenance, encouraging timely repairs to avoid breakdowns. Due to their limited resources, people here tend to let small issues build up. Additionally, as traffic norms aren’t widely known, each bike comes with simple, visual safety guides that teach basic road skills and explain common signs.
To our surprise, a woman claiming to be Sophie’s friend recently showed up out of the blue at FAR to pay off the overdue balance. She shared that Sophie had found herself obligated to flee to Ivory Coast, leaving her son behind with his paternal family, at their insistence.
Starting a new life in her new home, Sophie has picked up her hairdressing work again. Her friend said she’s incredibly thankful to FAR for the bike that changed her life. As soon as she got on her feet, she started saving to clear her debt—knowing it would help another woman join the program. For her, it was a personal mission.
Women waiting to be enrolled on the waiting list
Sophie’s story is just one of many layered tales tied to our work.
Every bike delivered, every CFA franc (Burkina Faso’s currency, roughly 0.00152 EUR) paid back, every woman lifted up—stems from FAR’s dedication to personalized support and the belief that real change comes from example and close relationships. Sophie’s journey—crossing borders to settle her debt and pave the way for someone else—is a powerful testament to that.
We are keeping at it!