CFTI is planning to distribute bicycles across Maharashtra to the drop out girl students from school who live in harsh conditions due to their life style, geographical location, social stigma and gender bias; that way they can help them stay in schools & colleges. This will also serve as a motivation to these girls. Bicycle will help these girl students to commute easily to schools. Till now they have distributed 700 plus bicycles to underprivileged girl students.

BICYCLE PLEDGE!! Reasons for implementation of the project:

• Girl students drop out rate has increased from 2.4% to 2.9%. In rural Maharashtra (India) there is a high dropout rate of girl students.
• As schools & colleges are located far off from villages, parents of underprivileged children do not have the financial capacity to pay for their children transportation.
• During monsoon some students shift residences to their farms for farming. To reach school they have to either cross the river which is indeed a dangerous task or to take a very long route to reach schools.
• During winter and monsoon, it becomes dark early. So it becomes difficult for these girls to commute on foot.
• Frequency of public transport is very poor to these villages.
• Girls have to walk through a lonely roads or jungle to reach schools and back home dealing with impending danger of wild animal attacks.
• While doing their mapping and research one of these girls mentioned, “We are more frightened of rapes & human attacks then attacks of ferocious animals”, which is unfortunately the harsh reality of India.
• Specially in the rural areas where homes are far away and girls cross long distances to reach from 1 place to another it makes them all the more vulnerable for sexual assaults.
• Bicycle will help them to commute easily without wasting time on walking, waiting for public transport. They can use this saved time for various activities.

• Free bicycles to underprivileged academically bright girl students who walk down to school for more than 2kms distance.
• Helping reduce dropout rate of girl students from school.
• Girl students can easily commute to the school without spending on travelling.
• Encouraging girls to take education is a strong platform of women empowerment, to make them self-sufficient, independent.