Duane Hicks
While many people may not realize it, Rainy River District has helped create jobs in Africa while providing environmentally-friendly transportation to residents there.
Well over 300 unwanted bicycles from the district will be heading to people in Africa in the spring thanks to the recent “Bicycles for Humanity” drive here, exceeding last year’s total of 273 bikes.
Organizers loaded about 250 bikes from the Fort Frances area, and 60 from the Emo area, onto a trailer Saturday morning.
The bikes and parts were trucked by Frank Scheibler to Thunder Bay yesterday, where Randy Fox and Gareth Pritchard of “Bicycles for Humanity Thunder Bay” have a crew to get it ready to be shipped to Africa on April 13.
A large quantity of tires, frames, and other parts also were sent along.
“With all the parts, I am sure we can make another 15 bikes,” chuckled Pat Ash, who co-chaired the “Bicycles for Humanity” drive here with Val Calder, and spearheaded rounding up bikes in the Fort Frances area, while Jim Scheibler, who lives just north of Emo, has been working to collect bikes in the west end of the district.
Organizers agreed it was remarkable to see so many bikes donated for the cause, adding they definitely will be appreciated.
“It makes a world of difference to a person in Africa, to a whole family, to a community,” stressed Calder.
“From doctors right down to the smallest child,” she noted. “The bikes are used to get to school, they’re used as ambulances.”
Ash noted the church has a video anyone is welcome to watch, which shows how the bikes are used for everything from transporting firewood to transporting the ill.
Videos also can be found online at www.bicycles-for-humanity.org
“When you see what some of these people are using these bikes for, it really makes you think, ‘We do take a lot for granted,’” remarked Erma Armit.
Calder noted “nothing is wasted”—any scrap that can’t be used for bikes is sold to help defray shipping costs. And the container the bikes are shipped in is made into a workshop after it arrives in Africa.
Once the bikes arrive, they are turned over to individuals who have received training through the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) on how to maintain the bicycles and run a business.
They use the shipping container as a place to store spare parts, as well as to teach other people how to maintain and fix bikes.
“They send a lot of extra parts for the people working there to keep things up,” said Ash.
“It’s a great idea.”
The program estimates that for every 100 bicycles sent, one full-time job is created.
Calder said the bikes are not necessarily given away to people in Africa; they earn them so there is a sense of value to their new possessions.
However, 10 percent of the bikes are given away free of charge to teachers and medical workers so they can travel greater distances to serve and help their community.
The act of gathering all of the bikes also is rewarding in its own way.
“We just love it,” enthused Ash, taking a break from wheeling bikes to the awaiting trailer. “We just have fun.
“And it cleans up the area because these bikes would end up in the dump,” she added.
Calder noted volunteers have gone to district dumps and looked for bikes to rescue for their cause.
There is a special feeling when you see the bikes you have donated make their way into the hands of those who need them, they agreed.
“On the video, the people say, ‘We don’t know what to say but ‘Thank you, Canada. Thank you, Canada. Thank you, Canada,’” smiled Calder.
“They really are appreciative,” echoed Ash.
Calder thanked everyone in Fort Frances and Rainy River District who donated bikes and parts for the campaign.
“We couldn’t have done it without them,” she stressed.
Many of the volunteers involved attend the Church of the Holy Spirit here, which has donated money to help pay for gas to transport the bikes from here to Thunder Bay.
“Bicycles for Humanity” first started in September, 2005 with the simple aim of enabling people to raise funds and collect unwanted bicycles to send to reliable partners in developing countries.
In turn, “Bicycles for Humanity,” in partnership with organizations in those countries, provides resources and support to make the process accountable and efficient.
It works at the grassroots level to ensure that disadvantaged people are empowered through improved access to food and water, employment, health care, education, and social opportunities.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.bicycles-for-humanity.org
