Changing lives and communities through bicycles

It’s a long way from Manitoba to Africa, but the trip continues to be a rewarding one for Assiniboine alumnus David Major.

After graduating from the Business Administration program with an Accounting specialization in 1996, Dave owned and operated a coffee shop in Brandon for a few years.

“After that, I had the opportunity to participate in an externship program and traveled to Uganda to work with local non-profits on their finance and accounting systems – Uganda Crafts in Kampala and Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute in Kagadi.

After completing that externship, he returned to Uganda and bought a farm that produced okra and beans for export. During that time, he also did some consulting work for non-government organizations in Uganda, as well as some private businesses. At that point, he was asked to join TechnoServe (a “business solutions to poverty” NGO based in Connecticut) as their Financial Controller of a USAID funded project.

“I am a huge fan of development through good business practices,” he says. “After that project came to an end, I was promoted to Regional Financial Controller of East Africa and moved to Arusha, Tanzania. I was then further promoted a few years later to Financial Controller of Africa for TechnoServe. During that time, we experienced huge growth in our grant portfolio, which was exciting but also a bit daunting.”

After over 10 years at TechnoServe, Dave moved on and did consulting work with the United Nations Development Programme. While at the UN, he worked with an organization called KickStart International, which is a social enterprise that sells hand operated water pumps in Africa. He helped them design and implement their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite, along with corresponding internal controls.

He was then hired by World Vision International to be their Director of Finance and Risk based in Lusaka, Zambia. While in Zambia, he also became a Certified Fraud Examiner and developed a comprehensive internal audit and risk and compliance program for World Vision. He was then asked to join World Bicycle Relief as Chief Financial Officer of Buffalo Bicycles in October of 2012, a position he currently holds.

“At that time, Buffalo Bicycles, a non-profit social enterprise, had just been formed and was looking for leadership as it relates to their finance and accounting processes, a challenge that I was very much up for.”

The World Bicycle Relief website says that the organization “empowers people and communities through life-changing bicycles. We are committed to helping people conquer the challenge of distance, achieve independence and thrive.”

For me, the most satisfying part of my work is seeing the ‘power of bicycles’. The immediate benefit to those who have purchased our bike is very powerful. Our target market is students – with a focus on female students – entrepreneurs and community healthcare workers in rural parts of Africa and South America.

“People in Africa and South America walk incredible distances each day. Having a bicycle makes them four times more efficient, which means they spend less time walking and more time at school, at the market selling their wares, or delivering much-needed medicine and care in rural areas, all using a Buffalo Bicycle.”

Looking to the future, Dave explains that “We currently have operations in Kenya, Colombia, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In 2024, we are expanding our footprint into Tanzania and likely Ghana. Each of those countries has their own currency, their own revenue authorities and their own rules and regulations, which can be very challenging at times given the changing economics.”

“Setting correct pricing, margins, and managing operating costs can be quite a challenge”, he says. “Currently, we have 89 retail outlets globally, with an additional 26 being opened in 2024. Most of our outlets are in very rural areas of Africa and South America, so managing that is a monumental task.”

For students currently attending Assiniboine, Dave has some advice: “At World Bicycle Relief we embrace the theory of ‘Kaizen’ which means always striving for small incremental improvements in everything we do – be it the bike or business processes – we always look to improve.”

“My advice would be to always set your goals high and work diligently at achieving those goals. Work smart, leverage technology and always be integrous in everything you do.”

For those who wish to support or become involved with World Bicycle Relief, visit worldbicyclerelief.org for more information.