Operating in Northern Uganda, the social enterprise Cycle Connect (formerly Bicycles Against Poverty) provides asset financing options for rural farmers who otherwise have no access to formal banking or financial institutions. The bread and butter of their products are bicycles, which customers can purchase thru a short-term loan. Bicycles help smallholder farmers and villagers increase their quality of life by allowing farmers to carry more goods to more markets, increase access to education and healthcare, and connect communities in ways once unimaginable. On average, one bicycle is used by five people in a village and increases household income by over 30%.

Because of the rough terrain in the north, Cycle Connect uses specially reinforced bicycles, which their team of mechanics assembles to order. Once assembled, the bicycles are loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken out to the far reaches of region, where roads are virtually nonexistent. Cycle Connect staff provide further trainings on bike maintenance, financial literacy, and smart business practices. These assemblies and distributions happen multiple times each month.

During one distribution, I joined their team as they took the bikes from parts to the final customers.