Adventist Health has partnered with World Vision International to provide dozens of bicycles for middle school and high school students in Northern Mexico. The Bicycles That Change Lives project aims to reduce school dropout rates by providing bicycles for students to use for commuting to and from school.
Delivery of 111 bicycles took place in December 2021 in coordination with leaders from Montemorelos University and the districts of General Terán, Allende, and Montemorelos in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. An additional 250 bicycles will be delivered in February, with five more deliveries planned throughout the year.
To qualify for a bicycle, students must be enrolled in the current school year, have limited resources, have no other means of transportation, have a history of good school behavior, and meet a specified grade point average during the last school period.
The donation from Adventist Health included a 26-foot cargo truck provided by Adventist Health Rideout that will facilitate delivery of the bicycles as well as medical supplies for Adventist Health clinic partners throughout Northern Mexico.
Distribution of the bicycles took place at community events attended by representatives of Montemorelos University, municipal mayors in the three regions of Nuevo Leon, representatives of the health and education sectors of the Mexican state government and the North Mexican Union Conference, and John Schroer, Global Mission System Lead for Adventist Health.
Our goal is to build strong and healthy communities.
“Our goal is to build strong and healthy communities. It is very exciting for us to see the beginning of this program and look to the future to bring other programs to these communities,” said Schroer. “It is also very rewarding to see these bicycles get in the hands of students who really need them.”
A meeting with regional church, community, and government leaders was held in December to consolidate the social impact of the project, which includes promoting healthy communities.
Roel Cea, director of health promoting ministries for the North Mexican Union Conference, said that each of the three regions in Northern Mexico has an invested interest in the logistics of the project, from the donation of the bicycles to the selection of bicycle recipients. “Each of the sectors has a specific responsibility so that the social impact of the project can be effectively accomplished in each region,” he said.
Schroer said that partnering with Montemorelos University has been a win-win experience. “Students at the university who are distributing the bicycles get to interact with younger students in the community and get to know them, while community members have the opportunity to explore the world of higher education at Montemorelos,” said Schroer.
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By Kim Strobel
