Albertina Muloongo, a health-care service provider, had seen many people in Zambia suffering from malaria forced to walk or even stagger hours to see a doctor, as neither public transportation nor private vehicle ownership is very common in the country.
But their lives have changed dramatically since they received a batch of about 40 bicycles from Japan in 1988, said Muloongo, who lives in the northern central city of Ndola.
Pedal power has in fact grown enormously in Zambia.