Aleni and the road to the future

For Aleni, going to school has not always been easy. Every day she walked between six and seven kilometers, taking up to three hours each way. During the rainy season, the river along the path in the Ntchisi district of Malawi became impossible to cross.

“Some days I stayed home because I was afraid of meeting certain boys along the road. They shouted, threw stones, sometimes stopped me to make advances. I couldn’t avoid them,” says Aleni, 16.

She would leave only when she found the strength. Often the fatigue from the previous day still weighed on her.

“My friends tried to discourage me. Some made fun of me and told me to leave school and be like them. They asked why I insisted on walking so far every day.”

But Aleni never stopped believing in education.

Everything changed when she received a sturdy bicycle suitable for long distances. “My school life has improved tremendously. The journey is faster and less tiring. My grades have improved too.”

Today those same friends look at her with admiration. Some have decided to return to school, hoping that one day they too will have a bicycle that can make a difference.

Studying while pedaling 🚲

Thanks to programs that promote access to education through sustainable mobility, more and more students can attend regularly. With a bicycle, school performance can increase by up to 59 percent.

For Aleni, education represents much more than schooling. “When I finish my studies, I will find a good job and be able to help myself and my parents.”

If she completes the eighth grade, she will be the first in her family and community to attend secondary school.

The journey remains demanding and still takes almost two hours each way. But now she is no longer afraid of the boys along the road. And above all, she no longer arrives at school exhausted.

With the time she saves, she can focus on her dreams of becoming a nurse.

“As a girl, I think it is essential to be independent and rely on myself. I use my bicycle to go to school, church, the market, the hospital and to visit my friends.”

“I am proud of myself.”

Those who work every day in the world of two wheels know that a bicycle can be much more than a means of transport. It can become access to education, safety and opportunity. That is why organizations like Bikeflip choose to consistently give space to stories like Aleni’s, sharing them in a monthly feature dedicated to those who pedal toward a more equitable future. Supporting these causes is not just a statement of intent, but a concrete commitment that deserves to be shared.