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Go-ING Orange makes a difference

26 May 2014 ... min read

ING’s Orange Bike Project uses Dutch tradition to alter the lives of Asian children.

15-year-old Analyn regularly woke up at 5am to start her journey.
She lives on 3-KM-distance from school. This is an hour walking through rocky and sometimes muddy roads.

Like Analyn, most of the children of the San Isidro village, the Philippines, walk to and from school on a daily basis. A tricycle is available at a price of €162. This costly alternative is not affordable for families living on a farmer’s budget of approximately €324 per harvest season.

Apart from having limited transportation, the children need to purchase costly meals at school to enable them to travel as light as possible. At the end of the day there is little energy left. These children fail to sleep well and cannot fully comprehend in school. Bad grades or quitting school is the outcome.

“When I was chosen to receive a bike, I was so happy. It feels like having a new dress. I never had such a beautiful bike. My grandparents could not afford to buy one,” Analyn says.

What is the Orange Bike Project?

The Orange Bike Project allows underprivileged children and their families to change the outcome of their lives. It enables them to improve the children their attendance by 28% and improve their grades by 59%. The bikes can also be used by the child or his/her family to transport goods to the market and be a means of family transport during non-school days or after school hours.

The Philippines was chosen as the pilot country. Other Asia countries targeted in the initiative include Thailand and China.

The aim of the project

In corporation with World Vision Philippines and World Bicycle Relief, ING Commercial Banking Asia has set up The Orange Bike Project. The objective is to mobilize children in Asia, to make traveling easier, improve academic performance, and give the child and his/her family a chance for a better future! The project aims to sponsor 5000 bicycles over five years.

View our 2013 Sustainability Report: “Simpler, Stronger, Sustainable” to view the company sustainable approaches of the past year.

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