{"id":174349,"date":"2019-06-24T13:40:41","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T13:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=174349"},"modified":"2019-06-24T13:40:41","modified_gmt":"2019-06-24T13:40:41","slug":"bicycles-for-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/06\/24\/bicycles-for-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Bicycles for Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most of us, the bicycle is a leisure pleasure, an adventure, and an enjoyable tool for keeping fit. Though not having one would certainly diminish the quality of our lives, we could probably live without one if we had to. In other words, the bicycle is probably not a game-changer for us. But for the grassroots NGO Bicycles for Humanity (B4H), it is. It regards the bicycle as an instrument of personal empowerment and a vital provider of mobility for those who have no or limited access to other means of getting around.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMothers can carry containers of water back to their village in a fraction of the time walking required,\u201d B4H explains on its website. \u201cStudents get to school faster, saving precious daylight for studies. Parents transport more items to market to sell. Healthcare workers are 3 to 4 times more productive. In today\u2019s technology-connected world, we believe that a bicycle and a smartphone are the game changers in all of the developing world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Since its founding by Pat and Brenda Montani in 2005, B4H has sent more than 160,000 bikes to Africa through some 50chapters around the world. Not bad for an organization that began with the modest plan of sending a single container of bikes to Namibia from communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia. B4H calls itself a \u201cgrassroots movement\u201d because it has grown without marketing or awareness campaigns \u2013 just people in different parts of the world (bicycle lovers, no doubt) who heard about the program from friends or stumbled upon its website. \u201cThe<\/span>\u00a0 key to our success,\u201d the organization says, \u201chas been telling the story of the need for bicycles in the developing world and hopefully inspiring many to join a pure movement and make a direct and meaningful difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is how it works: chapters collect and fund shipping the bikes to the closest African port and other groups fund the in-country costs of trucking and taxes. For many countries, such as Uganda, inland shipping costs and related taxes or duties to get the bikes in can be high.<\/p>\n

How the bikes are collected and shipped to Africa is up to the individual chapter. B4H allows them to do so in the way they think makes sense and is most effective. \u201cIn short, you can be as creative as you like, spend as much time as you want and build programs, partnerships and fundraising initiatives that make sense to you,\u201d B4H says. \u201cBest of all, you can build relationships with many in the developing world, and by working closely with them to implement programs, you are helping transfer valuable business and entrepreneurial skills.\u201d<\/p>\n