Rio’s Flamengo Neighborhood Gets Bicycles for the Disabled

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Last Sunday, July 7th, the “Bike Sem Barreiras” (Bike Without Barriers) project was launched in Rio de Janeiro, an initiative of the Universus Veritas University Center (Univeritas), located in Flamengo, in the city’s south zone, which is focused mainly on social inclusion, promoting leisure activities for people with physical disabilities and reduced mobility.

The director of the institution, Adriana Garcia, reflected on the significance of the neighborhood’s residents to the project: “They would pass by and ask our team everything, very curious to understand what it was all about. This support is vital since they can refer this activity to other people, taking the message of the Bike Sem Barreiras project to the target audience,” she explains.

The administrative superintendent of Rio’s South Zone, Marcelo Maywald, was also in attendance and reasserted that the region longed for an activity such as this: “Parque do Flamengo is the largest seaside city park in the world, and the locals, as well as the people visiting the area, needed a social innovation exactly like the one Univeritas brought. I believe that now the area will receive much more visitors and for a noble and fair reason”, he comments.

Part of Univeritas’ Social Responsibility area, the project is developed by the Ser Educacional Institute and has already drawn the attention of people for partnerships in its opening days. All participants are supported by the university’s coordinators and volunteer students.

Those interested in taking part may go to Posto 3 in Praia do Flamengo (Flamengo Beach), every Sunday, from 9 AM to 12 noon, and look for the institution’s team in the Univeritas tent to enjoy the service for free.