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Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays from the Kona BikeTown Africa crew. For all that helped and dedicated their time and resources to the program in 2008, we can't thank you enough for such a successful year.
Best wishes for the New Year and look to see you in 2009!
Cheers!
On Dec 1 - World AIDS Day - the final basket was tighten on the 1,000th Kona AfricaBike bring to a close BikeTown Africa 2008. Over the last two months-plus, the AfricaBikes have been donated to home healthcare workers in four different areas of South Africa, Chokwe, Mozambique and Mbabane, Swaziland. Over the course of the builds dozens of volunteers, program organizers, honors students, ski bums, professional photographers, bike-lovers, humanitarian-lovers and good people helped get the wheels rolling to better the lives of many in the communities they touched. And the communities touched us as well.
Here's a report from the final AfricaBike build in Swaziland last week from BikeTown Africa project manager Bradley Schroeder.
There were no fireworks, no one jumped out of a cake and there wasn't even anyone clapping or cheering. We just rolled that bicycle down the same hallway we had rolled the 159 prior. We were in Swaziland, just outside Mbabane and this was the last BikeTown Africa project of the year. This BikeTown Africa team (Loren, Audra, Desmond, Heather, Simon, myself and a team of local volunteers) had completed what we'd promised and talked about to everyone for the last 11 months. To deliver 1000 bicycles to healthcare workers. I had tried all morning to come up with something of significance to symbolize the event; even asked the other participants for their ideas. What finally happened was a group photo in front of a flat bed KIA which would deliver the bicycles to inner Swaziland to the healthcare workers who a day earlier had joined us on World AIDS Day for a ceremony.
At that ceremony the Minister of Health had summarized what we all knew: this is an appropriate technology, many African roads off the main track are very bad or non-existent and a bicycle can be a very effective way of getting around. She pointed out that other “more developed” countries use the bicycle for transport. But she ended with the reality of why the fireworks hadn't gone off when that last nut had been tightened on the 1000th Kona Africabike. She noted that although she was very impressed with the line of 160 bicycles being donated, it was not going to be enough for everyone in Swaziland to get a bicycle. One-thousand bicycles in Africa is like filling a swimming pool with a single raindrop. There is a lot more to be done.
But by no means should we be discouraged. In three years, BikeTown Africa has built something to be proud of: delivering Kona AfricaBikes to healthcare workers using the best design and delivery practices known. We've created a model which can be replicated. We've brought together partners from the bicycle, magazine, pharmaceutical and computer industries to create a unified effort to address a serious problem in Africa – access.
And, so far the program is looking bigger and better for 2009.
Thanks for all who have helped in our 2008 BikeTown Africa campaign and stay tuned for next year's pursuits.
Back in September, Kona donated 100 AfricaBikes to assist in a water project in Iringa, Tanzania.
The bikes will be used by members of the Water User Associations of the Great Ruaha River project run by World Wildlife Fund For Nature. The bikes will help these members monitor the river and conserve and preserve its resources which touch the lives of 6.35 million people.
CLICK HERE to check out a video from the project. You can also view it HERE.
Also, muchos thank you's to Park Tool who donated a bunch of gear and tools to make the bikes come alive.
Check www.konabasicneeds.org for more info.
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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