Prodigal Bikes Home Page
Prodigal Bikes - Sending bikes to Africa
Prodigal Bikes is a charity that brings hope and changes lives in both Africa and the UK.
Why “Prodigal” Bikes? In the Bible, Luke Ch. 15 vs 11-32 is a story Jesus told about a father who welcomes his wayward (Prodigal) son back into his family, giving him a second chance in life.
In the UK we refurbish bikes donated to us, teaching engineering skills and giving work experience to those who need that second chance. These bikes are then either shipped to Africa or given to refugees and asylum seekers here in the UK.
In Africa our bikes are used by patients to access healthcare, and by school children and teachers to get to schools. We also provide tools, spare parts and training to keep the bikes working.
Please browse our website to see what we do, who we help and how you can get involved.
HOW COULD YOU HELP?
We are a non-profit organization, and rely on volunteers and donations to help us make a difference to people’s lives. If you would like to volunteer, make a donation or organise a charity event please get in touch we’d love to hear from you.
Latest Prodigal Bikes News
We love hearing stories from people who have received our bikes, and how they have benefitted. ![]()
It's one thing to get hundreds of bikes delivered to those people that need them every year, and keep previously delivered bikes running with spares drops and our teams of in-country mechanics. We get to see a lot of happy people! But it is another, very special thing when you hear the stories directly from our bike recipients, after some time, of how the bikes have changed their lives so positively. ![]()
Here are four stories we got back this week from some children around Boko Mnemela in the coastal region of Tanzania, who received bikes from us as part of a very large shipment that we delivered at the end of 2024.![]()
Please read these stories. They have given us at Prodigal Bikes a whole new insight into how much a bicycle (destined to be thrown away) can mean to someone. We've edited the original stories to correct the English (Swahili is their first language) but have retained all the factual content. And their English is still 1000 times better than our Swahili!![]()
![]()
Collins Enock Maftah![]()
First of all I thank God for enabling me to have this opportunity to express my gratitude to the honorary donors of Prodigal Bikes.![]()
My name is Collins Enock.![]()
I am the 4th child of my family and I am currently studying in Form three at Mpelumbe Secondary school (about 2km northeast of Boko Mnemela). I live in is Zumba which is 12km south of Boko.![]()
Before I got a bicycle, I used to walk 14 kilometres on foot from Zumba to Mpelumbe secondary school.![]()
The way I walked takes me past a very big forest, which has very fierce animals. One day I woke up at 4 am in the morning and I did not have someone to accompany me on my walk to school. I met a Hyena in the middle of a field. I ran back to where I came from and that day I didn’t go to school at all because of fear.![]()
But I thank Anthony through Prodigal Bikes, and their Tanzania partner organization Coliefo (The Community Life Empowerment Foundation) because after I got the bike now I wake up at 6.00 in the morning and always go to class on time. Before I got the bike I was sometimes late for mathematics because it is the first lesson in the class morning.![]()
I thank you that Prodigal Bikes and Coliefo saw the problems we had.![]()
My results before I got the bike were Division 4 (like a D grade) but afterwards I got a Division 3 (C grade). That success is amazing to me!![]()
The advantage now is that I get time to get home early, I fetch water and shower. Before the bike, I use to sleep without showering because I was tired, so I was very dirty .![]()
In class, when I reach in form four, I will be at a very high level. I am looking for Division one. I pray to God to help me a lot. ![]()
Thank you very much for the transport. I am very happy, along with my parents. I also take care of this bike. It is the apple of my eye!![]()
God bless you very much.![]()
Collins, Tanzanian youth ![]()
![]()
Goodluck Bernard.![]()
My name is Good luck Bernard, I'm 14 years old .![]()
I also go to Mpelumbe Secondary school, and live in Zumba village.![]()
When I joined the Mpelumbe secondary school, before getting a bike I was waking up very early because I live was very far from school. Also, the way we used to walk was through the forest. We were forced to face all the dangerous animals. We walked together from protection from the harsh animals in the forest. When something bad happens to you, the day is delayed in getting to the classroom. The walk could take us 3 1/2 hours,![]()
As a result, we were often tired, and we didn’t understand what the teacher was teaching because of fatigue, and often arrived late. Sometimes we overslept, or slept in the forest on the way to school, and missed some lessons.![]()
In my exams I achieved a Division 4.![]()
After I got the bike, now I wake up after a good night's sleep and arrive at school after an hour's ride. I have been well. I like the start of the day. I enter in the class clean. In the evening, I have time to read at home and do my homework.![]()
I promise to keep this bike very carefully.![]()
The test results were better, not very good. I got a Division 3 but I was not satisfied with that Division. God help me.![]()
Many thanks go to Prodigal Bikes and Coliefo for seeing me and getting me a bike and building my future.![]()
I ask for more bikes for to help my little ones. (PB - we are planning another shipment here for 2028). ![]()
Lastly, my mother is very grateful, because before, every time when I left home she was often forced to leave her work and come to school with me to help me travel safely. But now she does her work freely. ![]()
God bless you so much. Is me, Good luck Bernard. ![]()
![]()
Anelea Alfred Pango.![]()
I am called Anelea Alfred Pango. I am 15 years old girl. I studied at Bokomnemela Primary School. I living in Kibaoni Village. I’m currently reading the form two at Mpelumbe Secondary School.![]()
Directly my thanks to Anthony and all of the England staff and Tanzania staff.![]()
When I got to school in the first year I was waking up at 5 am at dawn and arriving at 6.50am. My results for the first form one I was in Division 4, but after getting a bike I got a Division 3.![]()
The challenges I was meeting before getting a bike was that I was very tired. I failed to listen to the teacher in class. The second challenge I failed was to read when I got home. Also I could not do my homework given to me by the teacher at school.![]()
I met some young people on the way one day and they helped me to find a note book and start to read with me every day that we go to school.![]()
I thank God that after I got the bike, I was riding to school from home without being stopped by any boy. That is performance has been stopped, I thank the bicycle. Without the bicycle I would have already been pregnant, and all my vision would end there. But now I will fulfill my goals by 100 percent. God bless you.![]()
I pray may little ones also have bicycles. I will be very happy.![]()
I am Anelea.![]()
![]()
Kudra Jabili![]()
My name is Kudra Jabili. I finished primary school in the Sofu ward (about 10km north of Boko) in the village where I was born. I am in Form two at Mpelumbe Secondary School. I moved with my parents to Mkulambati when I was in form1. Life was OK.![]()
But then my parent got divorced. I was left with no father. My father married another wife, and my mother married another man. Life became very difficult for me. I thank God through the ministry of Prodigal Bikes that I have found comfort.![]()
So I decided to return to the village of my birth. This bike has been a savior to me. I now ride the bike many kilometres every day. Without the bike, I would have decided to stop school.![]()
I’m get up at 5.30 am, at dawn. I’m awake and at school at 6 am. I read every day. My exams are good. Before getting a bicycle in the first year I got a Division 4, but after getting a bike now my results have risen to Division 3. I have no fear about Form Four. I will get a Division one. God bless Prodigal Bike.![]()
By Kudra Jabili
Another big thank you, this time to Sid and James from K S Electics who kindly wired in our new Infra Red heaters free of charge. During the colder months, our workshop does get a bit chilly, to put it mildly (the water in the kettle froze one morning) so we, and all our students, are very grateful.![]()
Thank you too to the volunteers at Leonardo Helicopters who raised some money for us as part of their Be A Saint Day back in the spring. We used this to buy one of the heaters.
Today, we say a big Thank You to Titan Containers. Titan are a global company with headquarters in Denmark. They specialise in the rental and sale of shipping containers. They also have a strong charitable ethos, with a great Corporate Social Responsibility scheme. Our team lead in Eldoret, Kenya, George Okoth, found out about this, so we applied and they gave us this 40ft Hi-Cube container. We will use this to store bikes in at our UK base before dispatch to Africa, freeing up loads of space in our workshop.
Love this. Out on the trails in Tanzania with school kids riding home on our bikes.
As we take a pause from our teaching work over the summer holiday, time to share some updates on how our various projects are going.![]()
But first, we must say several big thank yous -![]()
To Judith Brookes and her friends for their support as part of Judith's birthday celebrations.![]()
To the League of Friends of Crewkerne Hospital for their generous donation.![]()
To the Marsh Charitable Trust for their grant towards our core funds.![]()
To all those people who have donated bikes to us. We have a really healthy supply now!![]()
To everyone who has bought a high value bike from us, to help fund our projects. ![]()
To our volunteers, who meet at our workshop every Thursday and keep preparing our bikes come rain or shine, hot or cold.![]()
![]()
Here, we had a great time teaching a variety of students from The Hub, The Horizons Therapeutic Trust and Wadham School, who have all learned lots of transferrable skills as they prepared bikes for our next shipment to Kenya. We now have around 160 bikes ready for this, towards our target of 360 bikes. These bikes will help children in two areas of Kenya; Homa Bay by Lake Victoria, and Kitui County, North Eastern Kenya, next year. ![]()
We look forward to resuming with all these groups and Yeovil College in September. ![]()
![]()
Meanwhile, in Tanzania, our team from the Community Life Empowerment Foundation, Robert, Ruth, Idd and Mussa are doing a great job keeping a fleet of 250 bikes working from their container workshop we set up last December. The four schools we supplied all report definite increases in attendance, prompt arrival at school and academic performance. ![]()
![]()
In Kenya, our team - Mbiti, Joshua and Elijah look after the aging fleet of bikes, fitting spares from our supplier, Benjamin in Nairobi. ![]()
Their next container of bikes and spares can't come soon enough.![]()
![]()
In Malawi, a Hooke Court in Malawi in Malawi visited for 2 weeks recently. The 188 bikes supplied so far are nearly all working, serviced by mechanics Christopher, Simon and Louis. The bikes continue to make a massive difference for the teachers, allowing them to reach far away schools so much more easily. We heard of some teachers walking 4 hours to a remote school, leaving at 4am. With our bikes they now get a lie in until 6am!![]()
Simon and Louis are graduates from the Bandawe School for the deaf. They trained there as bike mechanics over the past three years. We set them up with mechanics bikes, they now are doing a great job keeping all the teacher's bikes running, and have their own businesses as a result. No small achievement. ![]()
At the hand over of a new clasHooke Court in MalawiCourt in Malawi, the Head of Zonal District Schools thanked us for the increase in punctuality the bikes have made for the teachers in the Bandawe and Chintheche zones. ![]()
![]()
As well as all this, we've supplied about another 50 bikes to newly arrived refugees around Somerset, giving them vital access to education, employment and shopping as they rebuild their lives in the safety of the UK. ![]()
![]()
Check out the video in our next post, from Mpiji school in Tanzania, where the kids use our bikes to cover the long distances to school each day. So good to see it all in action!