China donates 1st batch of 1,000 bikes to Nepali students

Students pose for a photo with bicycles donated under an international bicycle project initiated by the China Foundation for Rural Development in collaboration with Hello Inc. in Birgunj, Madhesh Province, Nepal, Jan. 20, 2025. (Nepal Office of the China Foundation for Rural Development/Handout via Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of 1,000 bicycles from China was donated to Nepal on Monday, benefiting students from nine community schools in two districts of Madhesh Province.

Initially covered under the project are 504 students from five schools in Bara district and 496 students from four schools in Parsa district.

Nepal becomes the third country after Cambodia and Laos to receive the bikes provided by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc., with the China Foundation for Rural Development bearing the transport costs, according to Zou Zhiqiang, director of the foundation's Nepal Office.

"We hope that this donation becomes the first step in helping solve the problem of going to school for children living in remote areas of Nepal," Zou said at the inauguration ceremony held at a school in the city of Birgunj in southern Nepal.

"I'm looking forward to the expansion of the support in the future," said Imtiaz Alam, deputy mayor of Birgunj.

Since the international bicycle project was initiated in 2021 by the foundation in collaboration with Hello Inc., 6,024 bikes had been donated to Cambodia and Laos by the end of 2024.

The Chinese side has launched a series of poverty-reduction demonstration projects in Nepal, including "Vibrant Village," "Happy Community," "Safe Drinking Water" and "Lighting the Future," noted Wang Xin, a counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.

The Chinese embassy will continue to promote projects in Nepal and bring more benefits to the Nepali people, Wang said at the inauguration ceremony.

This photo taken on Jan. 20, 2025 shows bicycles donated under an international bicycle project initiated by the China Foundation for Rural Development in collaboration with Hello Inc. in Birgunj, Madhesh Province, Nepal. (Nepal Office of the China Foundation for Rural Development/Handout via Xinhua)