A grant from the U.S. bishops has helped religious sisters in the Central African Republic reach remote areas on bicycles. The U.S. bishops’ Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa is advancing Pope Leo XIV’s call for deeper unity by funding bicycles that help Marianist sisters reach remote villages in the Central African Republic. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has distributed 97 grants, including the bicycle project, totaling more than $3 million in 2025 through its Africa Solidarity Fund, according to a July 21 press release. The fund also supports programs in Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and throughout the Horn of Africa. Sister Amala Francis of the Society of Daughters of Mary Immaculate in the Central African Republic said the bicycle project proved highly valuable for young people, especially in rural communities where travel had previously been impossible.