Asia Initiatives, with support from the Women’s Rehabilitation Group in New Jersey, launched bicycle banks  to address  the lack of access to public transport  - giving the women and girls far greater mobility and freedom. 600 women across 32 remote villages can now freely commute, expanding their horizons and easing their work! Our non-profit local partners Deendayal Bahuudeshiya Prasarak Mandal works closely with the women in rural Maharashtra to help secure livelihoods, connectivity and freedom of movement!Women earn SoCCs (Social Capital Credits, our community currency for social good, by participating in village cleanliness drives, planting native trees and giving up chemical pesticides by preparing their own organic pesticide and fertilizers.  They also earn SoCCs for attending fortnightly meetings on organic farming, financial literacy, reproductive healthcare and hygiene.  They have redeemed their SoCCs for establishing bicycle banks in their communities, funded by Asia Initiatives. The women and adolescent young girls use the bicycles to travel up to 10km a day to attend schools, colleges, visit local public health centers, marketplaces, and travel to their farmlands to carry back dried hay for their livestock. The tribal women in this program are also using the bicycles to go into the forest to collect edible forest products such as wild honey, Mahua- a tree that provides a very economically valuable bark and flower, gum from trees, a very well known local cooking spice - the almondet and wood apple – a popular wild fruit. This is one example of  Asia Initiatives commitment on the path-breaking journey to empowering adolescents and women – to make them into strong, self-reliant, empowered resilient communities!