Send your bike to Africa this weekend

Posted on July 28, 2010 by | 6 Comments

Learning to ride in Binaba by Mary Jane Cassady

Our friend, Tom, who is involved with the Village Bicycle Project, sent us information about a bike drive this weekend at the West Seattle YMCA.

Details below.

The Village Bicycle Project provides affordable transportation for Africans.  People who own bikes can get more easily to school, to the market, their farm and health care.  Bicycles reduce poverty and save time and energy.   Millions of Africans do not have basic, reliable transportation–most rural Africans walk everywhere they go.  99% of Africans cannot afford cars, and public transportation is expensive and unreliable.

In Africa, a bicycle can make all the difference. The Village Bicycle Project is a Pacific Northwest-based organization that has shipped over 100 containers of bikes to Africa and has staff and volunteers in Ghana to receive the bikes and run local programs.

You can help by bringing your old bikes to the West Seattle YMCA

4515 36th Avenue SW, West Seattle
Saturday, July 31st, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Anne

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6 responses to “Send your bike to Africa this weekend”

  1. Charlotte | July 28, 2010 at 9:41 am | Reply

    Nice! I hope they are going to West Africa countries. I had one memorable bike ride there with a friend, wish I had done more.

  2. darren | July 28, 2010 at 1:38 pm | Reply

    Nice to see some progress in ghana I was part of a huge project with the scouts sending reconditioned cycles in crates about ten years ago and we were forced to stop when the import tax for each cycle exceded the price of a new one from india including delivery and assembly.
    and when we tried to discuss the massive tax they murdered 2 of our volunteers in their sleep.

    just goes to show keep plodding along and trying the same schemes and they will work eventually.

    incidentally has anyone seen any of the 500 royal mail red cycles being riden in africa that were sent last year ?

  3. Pingback: Bike drive for Village Bicycle in West Seattle Saturday | Seattle Bike Blog

  4. Bikejuju / Tom | August 1, 2010 at 10:03 pm | Reply

    Thanks! 76 bikes collected!

  5. Nancy | August 3, 2010 at 7:44 am | Reply

    We used to live in Moscow, ID, where Tom was/is very active with Village Bicycle Project! I’m glad to see you advocating it!

  6. Charlotte | August 31, 2010 at 1:09 pm | Reply

    @Darren- that sounds like Africa politics and life to me. Just keep believing it will get better like they do.

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