ABSTRACT
The roads wind up, down, and through towns and villages tucked in among the trees and farms. The population is largely rural – only 30% of Rwandans live in Kigali and other major towns. Farming in a mountainous country is not without its challenges, especially when it comes to moving your products to market. Emerging from the shadows of its past, Rwanda still struggles with persistent poverty – many young people remain un- or underemployed and most farmers have little money to spare for transportation. Over the years, there has been a steady influx of old bicycles to East Africa, imported on the cheap from India and China. In any Rwandan town, young men can be seen pushing oversized bundles of firewood up mile-long hills on the backs of their bikes, sweating through their tank tops on a chilly mountain morning.
