After assembling 160 Kona AfricaBikes in the rural township of Bizana, South Africa with nine BikeTown Africa representatives, a handful of local bike recipients and at least 104 eager school kids at the local Love Life Center, the handover was a complete success. One of the main highlights of the bike build was riding in the rain through the streets of downtown Bizana escorted by the blaring sound of police car sirens. Thirty or so riders got to feel what it's like to ride an AfricaBike - or any bike for that matter! It was a huge deal.
On our final day, we paid a visit to a local patient who was suffering from HIV and TB to get a firsthand look at how some folks are living in the area. The 160 bikes will be distributed to healthcare workers in Bizana, Flagstaff and Luskiski to help with treating patients and delivering seeds for "Door Gardens" so these patients can grow their own food and become self-sufficient farmers. To view a video of all the AfricaBikes built, CLICK HERE.
The following is from Bambisanani Project manager Nombuyiselo about the three-day bike build in Bizana:
"The bikes will be used when we do the community visits since other areas have big rocks or very bad roads and makes it difficult for the car to go," she says. "We assisted the 12 families in planting the seedlings after the BikeTown team left and they were very happy.The other community members joined us. Thanks so much forthe assistance given to Bambisanani Project. The bicycles will really change the lives of people in the communities."
For more images, CLICK HERE.
Moving from Bizana to Stellenbosch (outside of Cape Town) a week later for the final South Africa BikeTown build, representatives and local healthcare workers enjoyed sunny skies and ideal temperatures while building 150 new Kona AfricaBikes. For a complete story, CLICK HERE. And, for stunning images of the bike build taken by photographer Gary Perkin, CLICK HERE.
Stay tuned for a recap of the final BikeTown Africa project bike build of the year in Swaziland.
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