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Ventura County Kids Collect Hundreds Of Bikes, Travel To Africa To Meet The Kids Receiving Them

It’s a big thing to take the time, and effort to help people halfway around the world you’ve never met. But, it’s even more amazing when you go meet those you are helping. A group of nine kids from Ventura County spent the last three weeks in Africa, after they gathered hundreds of bikes for those with no other way to travel than by foot.

The “Wheels To Africa” program was founded in Maryland, and recently spread to Ventura County. When one of the kids involved with the program moved to Ventura County, it led to the startup of the effort on the South Coast. Some 400 bikes were gathered in the county for the campaign.

The Ventura County kids visited villages, orphanages and schools. They took along school supplies and sports gear to donate to the places they visited, and also helped with English lessons.

The kids also had some unforgettable experiences, like camping on the Serengeti, and meeting members of the Masai tribe.

The bikes, which are the centerpiece of the campaign, can have a huge impact on the lives of the kids receiving them. Some of the youngsters spend two hours a day just walking to school, and two more walking home, so having a bike makes a big difference.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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