Sponsor A Bike

In 2004, a group of social activists and educators volunteering with refugee families in Clarkston noticed that young refugee women were struggling to succeed in metro Atlanta secondary schools. It was clear that many of them had experienced significant gaps in their education before arriving in the U.S. These volunteers were awarded a start-up grant from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation to open a full-day school for 30 refugee teenage girls. Decatur Presbyterian Church generously offered to provide space free of charge to establish a program now called Global Village Project.

Today the project serves refugee students from countries including Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Burma, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In cooperation with the SOPO Bike Cooperative and with generous funding from a grant provided by the Rands Foundation, bicycles were given to students to support greater freedom of access throughout the community and to add a measure of enjoyment for the girls. Global Spokes, with support from SOPO, will continue to keep the students supplied with bikes and safety accessories.