Air France-KLM Cargo Brings White Bikes to Kenya

Amstelveen - This week Air France-KLM Cargo transported 220 white bicycles from National Park De Hoge Veluwe to Kenya. Air France-KLM Cargo joined hands with National Park De Hoge Veluwe to support the foundation Cycling out of Poverty.

Every year, De Hoge Veluwe disposes several hundred used bicycles, which Air France-KLM Cargo bring to Kenya free of charge. The bicycles are delivered to Cycling out of Poverty, which passes them on to various worthy projects in Kenya. Cycling out of Poverty supports small businesses, health workers and schools in Africa with the bicycles. Many Africans cannot afford to buy a bike, but certainly know how they can put a bike to go use, to earn money or to cycle to school or hospitals.

KLM AirCares supported Cycling out of Poverty in 2009, on the occasion of KLM’s 90th anniversary. KLM staff and passengers donated money and Flying Blue Miles to the value of €80,000-plus. The project ‘Cycling Blue for Kenya’ set out to establish a bicycle repair shop and a centre that would train 75 Kenyans as bike mechanics. In addition, micro-credit was extended to families so that they could set up their own bike taxi business or buy a bike for their children, who had to travel more than 10 km to school. In this way, the project also contributes to the millennium objective to achieve universal basic education.

National Park De Hoge Veluwe is renowned for its white bikes, which are made available to the park’s visitors free of charge. The foundation annually disposes of one fifth of these white bicycles, passing them on to worthy causes. The foundation is pleased that its white bicycles are put to good use in Kenya. Before the bikes are sent off, they are given a full check-up by youths working for the Hoenderloo Groep, which offers 24-hour care to young people afflicted with complex behavioural syndromes. National Park De Hoge Veluwe strives to achieve maximum sustainability and social responsibility in its operations. The reutilisation of the bicycles is perfectly reflects this objective.

Cooperation between KLM and the De Hoge Veluwe National Park goes back many years. The current White Bicycle project is one of many initiatives that reflect KLM’s social side and strengthen the existing bond with the park.