A project supported by the University of Leeds since 2016 has helped 10,000 youngsters in South Africa to learn vital cycle skills.
The Bambisanani Partnership is a collaboration between St Mary's Menston School in the Leeds area and Mnyakanya High School in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
More than 100 students and staff from the University have been involved in the charity since the cycling project was developed nearly a decade ago.
The pioneering cycle programme, which focuses on children in rural areas who walk long distances to get to school, has now been praised in South Africa's Parliament.
The milestone was recognised by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) which congratulated the Bambisanani Partnership and the University and moved that the pioneering initiative should be rolled out across the country.
University of Leeds staff work alongside teachers, coaches and development officers in South Africa to deliver an international sports development programme for students called Gryphons Abroad.
This summer, a team of eight students and two staff participated in the programme including Mitchell Hale, a final year Business Economics student at Leeds University Business School.
Mitchell spent one month in South Africa leading sports and cycling sessions for young people aged from 10 to 17 before returning to Leeds from a year in industry.
Mitchell said: "We reached over a thousand children in just four weeks. The project is getting bigger as more schools are coming on board. At some of the very new schools, the children were very excited to see us and get involved with our sessions.
"We were lucky enough to see traditional performances, choirs singing and one student even wrote a poem for me. Everyone, staff, students and the local community, were all so lovely. It makes you realise what an impact our visit has on the community."
Mitchell said he also got a lot out of the volunteering. "I learnt that I am more capable in sports settings than I had realised. Having structured training on coaching was really useful and has given me skills to take away.
"I think the Gryphons Abroad programme sums up my university life. I got to do lots of new things, received a lot of support and gained a lot of confidence."
The Partnership is so named because Bambisanani is the Zulu word for 'working hand-in-hand'. Collaborations with KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Education and a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) called KZN Cycling have identified practical skills that help the children.
This remarkable achievement of teaching 10,000 children to ride a bike highlights the power of education, sport and international co-operation to change lives.
In putting forward a motion that the programme be rolled out across South African, Wayne Thring, deputy president of the African Christian Democratic Party, said that teachers and community leaders had praised the initiative for empowering children in areas where there was a lack of public transport.
Suzzi Garnett, Sports Workforce Manager at the University of Leeds, said: "This remarkable achievement of teaching 10,000 children to ride a bike highlights the power of education, sport and international co-operation to change lives. It has been a privilege to see the project grow and progress from one year to the next, as well as survive the test of the global pandemic.
"We supported this programme as we could see a clear dual benefit for children and young people in South Africa as well as our own students."
"As well as developing skills and broadening cultural awareness for undergraduates, it inspires teamwork, resilience and leadership for all involved," Suzzi added.
The Partnership also includes Leeds Trinity University and Newcastle College.
