变革之轮：用自行车改变女孩的人生

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.