Renita Zaparde visited India with her family in the winter of 2012. She traveled through rural villages, and in one, met a small group of school girls walking by. That’s when Renita met Kusum: a 13-year-old orphan who walked three miles to school every day. 

Many times, Kusum was on the brink of relinquishing her education—and her dream.  Renita knew she had to act. She had to help Kusum. After returning to New Jersey, Renita fundraised at her school, and on her next visit to India, gave Kusum a bicycle. Now, Kusum has more time to complete her schoolwork and focus on her education.
 
Renita realized that there were many girls like Kusum that she could help stay in school, and Pedal2Prosperity got rolling!  Pedal2Prosperity strives to help orphaned girls in India and Africa stay in school by providing them with bicycles. In many cases, these girls from remote villages have to walk five/six miles every day to attend schools in nearby towns.