Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Motivated by the persistent barriers to girls’ education—such as long travel distances and safety concerns—we evaluate the impact of a bicycle-distribution program targeting school-going girls living more than 3 km from their schools in rural Zambia. In this randomised controlled trial, we compare outcomes for girls who received bicycles against a control group. One year after the intervention, we find a 34% reduction in commute time, a 66% improvement in punctuality and a 29% decrease in absenteeism. The program also significantly enhanced empowerment outcomes, including improvements in locus of control and educational aspirations. Moreover, 2 to 4 years after implementation, the intervention led to sustained gains in school attendance and retention. These findings highlight the potential of bicycles as a scalable and cost-effective solution for reducing educational barriers and promoting girls’ empowerment in low-resource settings.
Fiala et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: