Pedaling to School: Bicycle & Helmet Access for Rural Learners in Migori & Kisumu Counties can support 500 school-going children (70% girls, 30% boys) aged 13–16 from remote, underserved communities who walk 7–12 km daily to school. Every morning before sunrise in the rural villages of Migori and Kisumu Counties, children begin a journey that most of the world will never see. Achieng, a 14-year-old girl from rural Uriri Village in Migori County, leaves home while the stars are still in the sky and begins her long walk to school. Her journey is 7 kilometers each way. Barefoot or in worn-out shoes, she crosses muddy paths, sugarcane farms, rocky hills, and sometimes flooded streams. During the rainy season, she arrives soaked. During dry months, she arrives dusty and exhausted. By the time lessons begin, her energy is already gone. Like many girls in her village, Achieng walks over 14 kilometers every day just to sit in a classroom. Many days, she doesn’t make it. Fatigue, insecurity, harassment risks, wild animals, and seasonal flooding force her and hundreds of others to miss school regularly. Some eventually drop out completely — not because they lack intelligence or dreams, but because distance becomes an invisible wall between them and their future. For girls, the situation is even harsher. Long, unsafe walks expose them to: 1. Gender-based violence 2. Early pregnancies 3. Early marriages 4. School dropout Yet, when asked what she wants most, Achieng does not say food. She does not say clothes. She says: “I want a bicycle so I can reach school safely and on time.” A simple bicycle can cut her travel time by over 60%, restore her energy, protect her safety, and keep her in school. This is why Resource Hub for Development (RHD) is launching a Bicycle & Helmet Support Initiative to empower out-of-school and at-risk children from remote rural communities in Migori and Kisumu Counties. This is not about transport. It is about dignity, safety, equality.