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In 2008 we conducted six different Kona AfricaBike builds in South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland. And it was a success.
To check out what one of the bike builds was like in Stellenbosch, South Africa chek out this video by SABC of South Africa that features the BikeTown program. Enjoy.
CHECK THIS OUT: http://www.bicycling.co.za/static/biketown_video
From May 12-15 hundreds of bike industry leaders, pundits and enthusiasts from around the world will gather in Dumfries, Scotland for the World Mountain Bike Conference. The popular annual conference speaks to a variety of biking related issues from discussing environmental guidelines for bike parks to UN-sanctioned programs that help poverty-stricken regions prepare for green adventure tourism.
This year, one of the highlights of the conference is the work that Kona has been doing in sub-Saharan Africa with the AfricaBike. This will surely bring more global awareness to the efforts put forth by Kona, Bicycling magazine and Bristol Myers-Squibb Secure The Future Foundation over the last three years, and hopefully help grow the BikeTown Africa program.
For more info check: www.worldmountainbikeconference.com.
You need tools to build a bike and what better tools to use than those made by Park Tool. Park Tool, who has supported the Kona BikeTown program in the past, will be continuing their support of Kona Basic Needs and the Kona AfricaBike program for 2009.
Currently, a shipment of tools is on its way for our next donation of 75 AfricaBikes to the Tegla Loroupe Foundation in Kenya in March.
The tools will be used to build the bikes and then left with the foundation to continue maintaining the bikes to keep them in top condition.
Thanks Park Tool!
For more info check: http://www.parktool.com/, www.konaworld.com, www.konabasicneeds.com
A lot of college students around the country are riding bikes around campus. More than ever before probably. But, one college in particular has started a program where students can rent Kona AfricaBikes for the semester.
For $30, students at the University of Montana in Missoula can rent the burly, cruiser-style bikes for the semester. Called "Semester Bikes," the Associated Students of The University of Montana’s Office of Transportation Department purchased 15 AfricaBikes with the help of local Kona dealer Missoula Bicycle Works. The bikes will come in handy for all students as a means of getting around campus, and especially help international students and students that are on campus for only one semester. Each Semester Bike comes with a helmet and lock.
FOR THE FULL STORY CHECK: http://news.umt.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4927:think-globally-ride-locally-campus-bikes-benefit-africa&catid=20:um-news and http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9786042
On the other side of the country, Virginia Tech graduate Christine George's fall '08 BikeTown Africa fundraiser - which raised $10,600 - was recently featured in the Virgina Tech magazine. For '09, Christine plans on putting together another successful fundraiser for the program.
FOR THE FULL STORY CHECK: http://www.vtmagazine.vt.edu/winter09/feature1-add.html
Want a live account of some of what happened over in Mozambique this fall during our BikeTown Africa project? Well, here it is. The video, shot by Bicycling magazine, chronicles the crews travels to Chokwe where they encountered deep, tire-sucking mud, Sunday church-goers and the fun challenge of building about 200 Kona AfricaBikes in two-days.
WATCH IT HERE: http://video.bicycling.com/video/BikeTown-Africa-Mozambique-2
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