At the same time, people in Latin America and the Caribbean need cheap, reliable, nonpolluting transportation. For many Latin Americans, a car is beyond financial reach. Public tranportation, when available, is expensive and sometimes unreliable. In many cases a new bicycle is too costly, due to limited supply, high import costs, and lack of credit. Many people in small towns and rural areas walk distances to jobs and markets ranging from 5 to 10 miles.
Inexpensive bicycles represent a practical solution to transportation needs.
They enable farmers to reach their fields, small entrepreneurs to distribute their products, workers to get to jobs, students to get to school, rural health workers to reach patients. Moreover, a surprising number of microentrepreneurs can make a living selling and repairing these bicycles. Pedals for Progress puts a wasted U.S. resource to productive use, making the bicycle a low-cost tool for development. Today, Pedals for Progress has ongoing programs in Nicaragua, Barbados, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Honduras. These NGOs will also work with youth organizations in these countries to finance and implement community development projects and disseminate resulting best practices.