Ride 4 a Woman – Charity Feature – Article by Denis Rubalema & Evelyne Habasa – All Images by: Ride 4 a Woman
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Ride 4 a Woman – Charity Feature – Article by Denis Rubalema & Evelyne Habasa – All Images by: Ride 4 a Woman
is a charitable organisation set up to empower women socially and economically in the local community of Bwindi, Uganda. The organisation supports women struggling with poverty, HIV and domestic violence and single mothers, carrying out many projects with a huge impact into their lives.
Ride 4 a Woman was set up in 2009 by Evelyne Habasa and her husband Denis Rubalema. Evelyne grew up in the local community where the organisation is established and was inspired by her mother since she was very young. Her mother sacrificed a lot to put her eight children through school as she had no money to afford the basics. She owned one dress, a preMy red one, and she washed it every night so she could wear it again the next day. Her red dress was “the talk of the village”. Her frugality and very hard work managed to put all her children through good schools. This is the struggle most women go through every day in this community and what motivated Evelyne to start Ride 4 a Woman.
The organization started by renting bicycles to tourists who like riding. The money collected went directly to support local women. This is why the name “Ride 4 a Woman” came about: riding to support the women.
In 2012, the 16 pioneer women of the organisation learned to sew and weave, and they were the ones who started teaching many more women around the community through the “train the trainer” methodology. More than 100 women were trained in total, and every day 60 of them work at Ride 4 a Woman center, making the handmade products that are sold in the shop of the organization.
Ride 4 a Woman has 300 members, all of them are women from the 11 villages in Bwindi who benefit from it. The organization leads many different projects to empower women and improve people’s lives in the local community. Here you can find a summary of each of them:
In 2012, the 16 pioneer women of the organisation learned to sew and weave, and they were the ones who started teaching many more women around the community through the “train the trainer” methodology. More than 100 women were trained in total, and every day 60 of them work at Ride 4 a Woman center, making the handmade products that are sold in the shop of the organisation.
Ride 4 a Woman has 300 members, all of them are women from the 11 villages in Bwindi who benefit from it. The organisation leads many different projects to empower women and improve people’s lives in the local community. Here you can find a summary of each of them:
1. Employing Women
60 women go every day to Ride 4 a Woman center where they make all the handmade products that the organization sells in its shop. Apart from working, in Ride 4 a Woman they find a space of safety and support, a meal is provided to them and earn a salary that is given to them every two weeks. These women are the main focus and the reason of existence of the organization.
2. Microfinance Program
Ride 4 a Woman provides low-interest loans to support women of the community, allowing them to make their personal and professional projects a reality. Since the project started in 2017, the organisation has given out loans to more than 210 women, making the Microfinance program one of the most successful projects.
3. Children Sponsorship
In Bwindi, many children don’t go to school only because their families can’t afford it. Ride 4 a Woman believes that ensuring good access to education is crucial, as the present and future generations depend on it. Children sponsorship is another way to support the families around the community, enabling children to go to school and freeing up their mums to focus on their skills and income prospects. Nowadays, more than 260 kids are being sponsored by Ride 4 a Woman.
4. Safe Water
More than 150 liters of clean water are provided every day in Ride 4 a Woman’s center, where there are 5 purifying water filters installed. Everyone in the community is free to go and fill their plastic jerry cans to take safe drinking water to their homes.
5. Light a Home
The Light a Home program started in 2023 to provide light to the families of our sponsored children, so that they could do their homework at night and use the light for many more. Ride 4 a Woman is providing and installing solar panels, improving the life of these families drastically. Until today, 60 homes have already been lighted through this project, but many more are benefiting, as the neighbors of these families are encouraged to use the light as well.
6. Seeds of Grace
Seeds of grace program is Ride 4 a Woman’s agriculture project, that was set up during COVID pandemic to support women to grow their own crops at home. The organization provides women with the seeds and the required tools and knowledge to plant and grow them. Over 120 women benefit from this program twice a year, before every planning season.
7. Goats Program
In Bwindi, most families don’t have any savings. Meaning that when an unexpected event occurs, the families don’t have the economic security to face it. Ride 4 a Woman created the Goats program in 2022 to provide women and their families with an emergency fund in the form of a goat, with the idea that if an unexpected event occurs, the family can sell the goat and get liquid money quickly.
8. Building a Home
This is the most recent project of the organization, which started at the beginning of 2024. Its aim is of construct and repairing houses for families that cannot afford it by themselves. In less than a year, Ride 4 a Woman has already built 3 houses, making a huge impact in the lives of these family members.
9. Future Primary School
Ride 4 a Woman dreams of having its own primary school. It is both a dream and a necessity for the local community, as there are small many children without proper access to education. Moreover, the organization believes that a new type of school is possible, focusing on things that are not commonly found in the already ongoing schools:
Ride 4 a Woman is now in the process of raising the necessary investments for this project.
Empowering Women Through Hospitality
Ride 4 a Woman welcomes visitors to its center every day. The organization offers accommodation and a restaurant for anyone who wants to stay. Cozy and beautiful rooms with hot water showers and indoor toilets, and local food offered in all the meals of the day. By staying in Ride 4 a Woman, the visitors are already supporting the organization on its mission of Empowering Women, as the 50% of all fees collected go directly to the projects of Ride 4 a Woman.
Apart from the accommodation and restaurant, Ride 4 a Woman offers to its visitors the possibility of having some activities, in which they can learn about the Ugandan traditions and culture and have fun at the same time. Basket weaving, traditional cooking, bicycle riding, baking dance and visiting a woman’s home are some of the most common activities offered by the organization.
This is so impressing, I see through ride4awoman, many have benefited I’m so overwhelmed with joy to see God using ride4awoman to help people in bwindi community, and worldwide!
God bless your work!
In this act of generosity, I have learned to be generous to people in need! I will start today!
Great job ride 4 woman