The Partnership Launches an Inaugural Bike Program and Enhances Education Access for Girls in Malawi
Press Release – New York, NY (August 1, 2017) – The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) and ofo, the world’s leading bike-sharing platform, today announced a comprehensive five-year partnership called “1 KM Action” to provide funding to CLF’s Global Scholarship Program and support dynamic educational programs in Malawi. ofo is committed to funding scholarships that help hundreds of girls attend secondary schools in Malawi and will donate bikes to those scholarship recipients to combat some of the regional transportation challenges contributing to Malawi’s high drop-out rates.
The first batch of ofo bikes have been put into use in Malawi and already gained positive feedback from students and teachers. More bikes will be delivered for this program.
“I’m so happy about the Clara Lionel Foundation’s new partnership with ofo because it will help so many young people around the world receive a quality education, and also help the young girls of Malawi get to school safely, cutting down those very long walks they make to and from school all alone.” said Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
In January 2017, Rihanna traveled to Malawi in her role as Ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education and with Global Citizen, to spend time with educators, government officials, and students to identify ways to collaborate to build a better educational future for Malawians. There are approximately 4.6 million learners in primary school in Malawi but only 8% of students complete secondary school. The drop- out rate is staggering and girls are disproportionately impacted. The long distances that they have to travel to get to school is a major contributing factor. Determined to do something about it, the Clara Lionel Foundation and ofo joined forces to provide bikes and scholarships to girls in Malawi.
“We are delighted to work with Rihanna and the Clara Lionel Foundation on this innovative initiative as we are keen to help improve education accessibility for students living in poverty.” said ofo founder and CEO Dai Wei, who spent one year as a volunteer teacher in the poverty-stricken region in China after graduating from college. “We believe in unlocking every corner in the world with equal access to education as well as with our bike-sharing scheme.”
In addition to the unique collaboration in Malawi, ofo also carried out “1 KM Action” to support CLF’s Global Scholarship program to provide scholarships to students from China, Brazil, Barbados, Cuba, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana, and Jamaica who are accepted to an accredited four-year college or university in the United States. ofo will provide scholarships to students, particularly to those interested in studying topics related to the environment and sustainability.
About the Clara Lionel Foundation
The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2012 by Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. CLF supports and funds groundbreaking and effective education, health and emergency response programs around the world. With the voices of Rihanna and her fans, CLF also engages in global advocacy with the goal of improving the quality of life for young people everywhere. Current programs include the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program, the Clara Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados and the Barbados Micro Grants Program.
For more information, visit www.claralionelfoundation.org and follow updates on Instagram and Twitter at @ClaraLionelFdn
About ofo and 1KM Action
Found in 2014, ofo is the world’s first and largest bike-sharing platform. ofo is created for sharing and aims at unlocking every corner of the world by making bikes accessible to everyone. As of today, ofo has connected more than 6.5 million bikes in 150 cities across five countries, been generating more than 25 million daily transactions and provided 2 billion times of efficient, convenient and green services.
“1 KM Action” is a collaboration between ofo and the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), aiming to encourage low-carbon, sustainable, and eco-friendly short-distance bike trips.The partnership is built to raise public awareness of climate change and rural education, and will also provide financial support to innovative projects that address urban environmental challenges.
