Category Archives: bicycles

bicycles, Collectors, Guatemala

High Gear Cyclery and Pedals for Progress Team Up to Change Lives

2014fallHighgearGroupHigh Gear Cyclery is pleased to have partnered with Pedals for Progress (P4P), with the first load of 193 kids’ bikes being readied for shipment to Guatemala in mid-June, 2014. There will be a container load of previously loved kids bikes from our NJ customers shipped to be distributed to families in Guatemala.

Bike-shop-quality kids’ bikes are built to last a long time. However, kids grow up fast, and their bikes get set aside when they’ve outgrown them. High Gear began to offset this trend years ago when they started a Trade-up Program. These bikes now can be put to good use and provide value to customers after a child has grown out of his/her bike and can help change the lives of families here in the US and in less developed countries. When customers bring back the bike purchased at High Gear they receive a Trade-up Credit to use toward the purchase of any new bike in the store.

Over the years High Gear Cyclery has donated more than 2,000 used kids bikes to a variety of local charities This is the first time that the used bikes will be shipped overseas to change lives.

2014fallHighGearRoneYeeDave

It was great luck that High Gear has a number of kids bikes and P4P was planning a shipment to a charity named FIDESMA in Guatemala for June. Given the average height of many of the Guatemalans, the 24-inch kid’s bike will become an adult bike to be used by a mother or father who now can get to work to do their job and get home in time to take care of the kids, and support themselves.

Each 16- and 20-inch bicycle will go to a child who will now be able to go to school on a regular basis. With a bicycle comes a life change, ease in getting to school and more time to study or play. There are 16-inch bikes for seven, eight and nine-year-old kids who are going to use them to commute to school. The 20-inch bikes will go to older kids who may use them for a combination of work and school commuting. Of course, as a bike shop, High Gear Cyclery believes that bikes can change anyone’s life. Sometimes we just don’t appreciate just how much impact a bike can have on a life. The stories and success of P4P shine a new light on just how important a bike can be in someone’s life and on a village and an economy.

Albania, bicycles

Update on Our Partner Ecovolis

by Patricia Hamill
Fall 2014 InGear

7Just recently, we received some positive updates from Ened Mato, CEO of Ecovolis in Albania. He announced that there have been 4 successful projects put in motion that were made possible through our partnership with them.

The first project he told us about was the development of an entrepreneurial endeavor called Trasta o Nona (The Sack is the Best). With the 20 sewing machines P4P was able to ship to them, 5 disadvantaged young people gained employment making cloth bags to replace the heavily depended on plastic bags from stores. In three months, 3,000 bags were sold. Even better is the fact that their overhead so far is 0 since the material comes from coffee companies and donated clothing.

The second success story is about a movement called Release Lanes or the Free Bike Lanes Movement that was started by thousands of bicycle enthusiasts in Tirana. They are actively protesting the lack of bike lanes and poor driver awareness that the cyclists must deal with daily. Funding from P4P’s involvement was the catalyst for this activism and all participants readily acknowledge our part in their cause.

As most of you know, not all of the bicycles shipped elsewhere go solely to new owners to use. In some cases, as with Ecovolis, the cycles are sold to the public and then the funds collected are used for improving the lives of the local population. For instance, the first $7,000 (USD) earned from a bicycle sale was directly transformed into something called Ecological Gardens. Five public gardens in Tirana that were languishing from neglect, now have solar panels installed, parking for bicycles, and recycling receptacles. All make these locations cleaner and more relaxing now.

Ened also informed us that some funds collected in April from bike sales was put to use building small freestanding “libraries” in some of the parks and playgrounds in Tirana. Children are able to take a book out of the little library and then return it for another. Lastly, some of the bikes at the time of the sale were reserved for the children’s daycare center Shtwpiza e Ngjyrave (House of Colors) so that the little ones would have more options for playtime.

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As their web site states, Ecovolis was created to be “ . . . a program that will forever change the way people perceive [Tirana], how they experience and perceive transportation, creating a more vibrant city, a place where people want to work and live with a quality and entertaining environment.” In these days of reinventing ourselves and putting concerted effort into recycling all that we can, it’s always gratifying to learn how the donated bicycles and sewing machines from the States become more than used cycles or machines elsewhere. They become clean energy sources, earth friendly bags made by newly employed people, books for children, and even garden plots. It might be time to take a trip to see Tirana’s improvements in person.

bicycles, Ghana

Mr. Mahmudu

by Fuseni Bense
Fall 2014 InGear

Mr. Mahmudu is a native of Kidal from Northern Mali who moved to Ghana due to the conflict in his hometown (Kilda) where he lived before. Because of the extent of the conflict and the threat involved, he tried to move his wife and six kids to southern Mali in order to escape the risk involved in the fighting.

Mr. Mahmudu getting ready for work.
Mr. Mahmudu getting ready for work.

As he moved to Southern Mali, things were not easy for him as well. He later survived suicide attacks which led to the death of one of his daughters with others severely injured. Only one child survived with no wound in the attack.

Later, the incident left him with no choice but to move to Ghana alone in order to earn a living to cater for his wife and kids. When he came to Ghana, he had nothing in hand to start a trade to satisfy his basic needs as well as to take of his wife and kids back in Mali. He later joined a construction firm as a laborer. After a few months as a laborer, he was able to save an amount of GH$50. He then started to sell used shoes, a business he had earlier thought of on his arrival in Ghana.

He then bought from a wholesaler 5 pairs of shoes with which he began his trade. Mr. Mahmudu had to carry the shoes on his head and shoulders and comb around the city for about 30 – 40 Km/day trying to sell them to make a living. He later heard about the tremendous help WEBikes gave to the needy and came there to seek for assistance to own a bike which could help him cover more Kilometers so he can sell more to boost his income.

WEBikes, a Non Governmental Organization, assisted Mr. Mahmudu with a bike at a cost of $10 only. Mr. Mahmudu became more mobile with the help of the bike given to him by WEBikes and P4P and his trade grew. Thanks to WEBikes and P4P, Mr. Mahmudu can now take care of his wife and kids. The kids now attend school in the capital of Mali (Bamako).

bicycles, Moldova, Peace Corps

Moldova Shipment Arrives

by Carol Stadden, Peace Corps Volunteer
InGear Fall 2014

Walking down the street, strangers stop me and ask when the bikes will arrive. They thank me, sometimes with a hug or even a kiss on the hand. Everyone hopes to buy at least one bike and they are eager for them to come. The school basement has been cleared and new locks have been purchased for the doors as we await our “Christmas in June”. Something like this doesn’t happen every day in a small village like Grozesti!

The Diamond Challenge team made headlines in America. Grozesti proudly sent the winning Moldovan team of young entrepreneurs to compete in the National Diamond Challenge competition at the University of Delaware the end of April. Their winning business concept was to open a bicycle repair/rental business using the bikes from P4P to start their venture. Tudor and Tamara got to spend their first day in the US with David, president of P4P! He took them on a scenic tour of High Bridge and to see where the bikes are loaded into crates. David taught them the easiest way to price the bikes once they arrive in Moldova, “Close your eyes and feel the weight of the bike; the lighter it feels, the more expensive it is”. Tudor and Tamara spent the night at David’s home and both said they would never forget his wife’s pancakes! In the morning they were whisked off to Delaware for a tour of the college campus and the following day the team took third place in the competition! Even though they did not win, they gained valuable knowledge about starting a business and they had a trip of a lifetime; it was a dream that came true for them.

Volunteers put pedals back onto the bikes in Moldova.
Volunteers put pedals back onto the bikes in Moldova.

In early May flyers were posted in our village and neighboring villages describing P4P and the shipment of bikes and sewing machines. Raffle tickets were sold to give away one free bike in order to generate funds and more excitement–if that was even possible!

We sold over 1,000 tickets. When the truck pulled up on June 12th, young and old gathered at the school to help unload the crate and to get a good look at its contents. Before the school’s summer break I spoke to each of the senior classes to find my crew of mechanics and sales people. My inventory team arrived and we began the long process of numbering and cataloging each bike. Pricing came later. No one can believe how beautiful the bikes are or that they are “used”.

Children trying out their new bikes
Children trying out their new bikes

My team of 12 mechanics worked like a well oiled machine. We had all the bikes repaired in two days! Tickets were sold in advance and the first five winners were waiting patiently with a stream of onlookers behind them. Each new bike owner was interviewed so in the future we will be able to monitor the usefulness of the P4P program and help P4P determine if it is achieving its mission goals. The entire container of bikes, which seemed enormous when it first arrived, completely disappeared over the weekend.

Everyone left happy. 50 bikes were purchased by an innovative entrepreneur who will rent the bikes to tourists who stay in his network of rental homes (Hai la tara). They are beautiful vacant homes dotted throughout Moldova belonging to grannies on a pension. This money supplements their meager incomes.

I am now working with a young woman who wants to help stem the tide of human trafficking in Moldova by teaching the young girls (and boys) in our village to sew. She will teach classes at the school and open a small shop. Her shop will provide needed jobs making it unnecessary to migrate in order to find work! So this is the summer when Grozesti became “the village where everyone rides a bike”.

bicycles, Guatemala

Guatemala #15 Arrives

CAM01961

Dear David,

On behalf of the beneficiaries of bikes and the beneficiaries of social projects, thank you for your continued support. We would like to thank Pedals for Progress for all of the activities FIDESMA can accomplish with the bicycles and sewing machines.

We finished the inventory of bikes, and now began with sales of the bikes and other pending activities. Attached are photos of the container when it arrived in San Andrés Itzapa.

We also want to thank you for the the magazine you sent us, everyone is reading the magazine. We will send another letter soon to update you.

Thank you from the Members of FIDESMA.

Margarita Caté

CAM01965

bicycles, Collectors

KA-POW!!

Batman protecting the P4P donations
Batman protecting the P4P donations

On May 17th, 2014, the Norristown, PA, Rotary Club ran a collection as part of West Norriton Township Community Day. We were basically part of a community fair, which made the collection really unusual: besides our bicycles and sewing machines, also on hand were pony rides, a SWAT team, a helicopter landing, a magic show, Pinkie the Clown, a police exhibit with handcuffs that one of the Rotary members tried to use on her club president, and “Costumed Characters”—Batman stopped by to give the thumbs up to our bikes. A Rotary Club member has a heating and air-conditioning business with a trailer where the club collects and stores bikes and sewing machines throughout the year. We got 39 bikes and 4 sewing machines, including a gorgeous old Singer treadle machine with ornate wooden carving on the drawer fronts. Great job, guys, and keep up the good work.

bicycles, Guatemala, Sewing Partners

How do Bicycles and Sewing Machines Continue to Support FIDESMA’s Mission?

By Patricia Hamill
Spring 2014 InGear

You’ve read about our partner in Guatemala, FIDESMA, the organization that promotes economic development through micro-credit, training in textile design and agricultural programs, among other efforts. They are doing so much to contribute to the needs of the people in their region and we are pleased to have some updates for you.

Grant Recipents with their P4P bicycles
Grant Recipents with their P4P bicycles

Three young men, poor students, were awarded a grant from FIDESMA for employment training in welding. The funds were raised through the sale of the bicycles sent from P4P. Without the bicycles that were transformed into needed funds, these young men could not possibly have begun, much less finished, the four months of required training. They completed their course in November of 2013.

These young men also needed to be able to put these skills to use. This of course meant that they needed employment opportunities and a way to access the locations where they would work. A blacksmith shop was made available to them and there they created metal ornaments, bikes and candlesticks to generate the income that would continue to reinforce their financial independence. In December, these men were able to acquire bicycles that had arrived in the 14th container shipped from P4P and received by ECOLOBICI. They can now travel readily between home and work. Ease of travel was one of the obstacles the young men had to overcome since, as you’ve read so many times about so many of the people in our partners’ regions, they would have to pay for public transportation, walk many miles or, in this case, take a motorcycle taxi.

Now 6.00 quetzals (about .75 in US currency) a day are saved by using a bike and they have the added advantage of keeping in shape. They have benefited from ECOLOBICI’s project supported by P4P and they plan on continuing their studies and efforts at financial success in 2014.

The women outside the Santa Apolonia Municipal building
The women outside the Santa Apolonia Municipal building

In the container mentioned above, there were also 15 sewing machines, some earmarked for particular women who had visited the FIDESMA training center. These women, from Santa Apolonia in the District of Chimaltenango, work sewing typical huipil blouses mostly. These are traditional garments that are loose fitting like a tunic. Since these kinds of shirts are in demand, they stand to make a reliable income continuing to sew these and other viable pieces of clothing. There are more men and women who will be able to access these machines and learn how to use them or continue to work at their tailoring businesses.

bicycles, Moldova, Peace Corps

A Personal Note from Moldova

June 2014

We love to hear from people whose lives have been touched by P4P and our partners. We have been contacted by a woman who is connected with the Peace Corps and is in the process of campaigning for P4P to come to Grozesti, Moldova. If all goes well, we will ship to them in early spring. Just one container of bikes can change the lives of people in this small isolated town. Here is her message:

“My name is Carol Stadden. I am a retired baker serving as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in a small Moldovan village in Eastern Europe called Grozesti. Moldova is a country approximately the size of Pennsylvania and is considered the poorest in Europe. Peace Corp’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship with a commitment to improving the quality of life in each host country. I am in the Small Enterprise Development program. When I first arrived at [the] site, I heard there was a village where everyone rode a bike. How incredible! In 2005, a Peace Corps volunteer, working with P4P, had arranged for 500 bikes to be shipped to his village of Pelenia. I talked to the mayor of my village and she was eager to give Grozesti the same opportunity.

spring2014moldovaGrozesti

“Many people in the village own bikes, but they are extremely old and heavy one-speed models unsuitable for navigating the rocky, hilly, unpaved roads of Grozesti. Because of P4P, the communi ty will not only be able to purchase sturdy, quality bikes for an extremely affordable price but the bikes will enable farmers to get to and from their fields more easily and children to ride to and from school–sometimes as far as 5km. I hope to work with a group of high-school students to catalogue, repair, and sell the bikes so they can learn valuable business and employment skills. There is also the possibility that a community member will step forward to start a small bicycle parts/repair shop. Any surplus funds from this project would be used to assist them.

“I am an avid cyclist back home and the first thing I did once I arrived in Moldova was to buy a bicycle. This is the perfect way for me to share my enthusiasm for cycling while promoting small business. These bikes are generating so much excitement in the village, I believe there may be a bicycle club in Grozesti’s future! To learn more about Grozesti, please go to grozesti.weebly.com. One of my first projects was to create this website as a means of promoting the village and assist me in integration.”

Albania, bicycles

Give Smiles With a Bicycle!

by Ened Mato
Spring 2014 InGear

How nice it is to donate a smile! It is a grim fact that some Albanians face the indifference of passers by and the silence of fellow citizens in general. Many children are mired in a cycle of hopeless days without experiencing the joys of a real childhood and, confused, stare straight into the future without a sense of hope. Nearly 120 of these children at the Colourful Lodge and its twin centers, every day, find not only hospitality, accommodation and a warm meal, but above all the care, love and why not, the image of what they lack and miss: Home!

spring2014albaniaContainerIn the framework of the initiative which has already made possible the delivery of 100 bicycles in 10 similar centers in Albania, the New Year’s holidays at the Colourful Lodge came under the rhythm of chiming bicycle bells that were donated by Ecovolis in collaboration with Pedals for Progress. Ecovolis representatives spent the holidays with these wonderful children, helping them learn to pedal the colorful bicycles that they, before, could only watch go by on the noisy thoroughfares of the capital city. The little ones learned that use of these bicycles created an excellent opportunity to secure a beautiful, clean, green and friendly environment to live in, quite different from the dusty wild roads of the city they wander every day.

This is not all. The people from Ecovolis also promised that they would work with the children every week, to continue helping them ride safely and have fun. For these children it was wonderful discovering that bicycles from Pedal for Progress were previously used by their American peers, whose stories and names were shared.

spring2014albaniaKidOnBikeIt was so miraculous to see the smile on a young boy named Zino. He was the first to learn to ride a bike and even swore that one day he would become the fastest cyclist in the world. Little Izidora, who spent the day cleaning the windshields of “four-wheels” vehicles as they call them, said that she loved the bike exactly because it did not deliver those “disgusting fumes and that disturbing noise.” A child named Abel immediately began calculating the increased number of packages sold, if he was to rely on his own bike instead of his tiny legs.

One of the girls, Mira, she begged for one last ride and said she would have loved to have her own bicycle so she would have the opportunity to visit her mother during the day and show her her earnings. When she was told that there would be no “last ride” because those bicycles would be staying at the Colourful Lodge, her happiness was immense. Her felicity was shared among Adrian, Ihsira, Ledio, Daklea, Oriada, Teuta, Laert , Esdalin, Landi, Artemis, Donna and dozens of other children, whose smiles were the most precious gift for the representatives of Ecovolis. “This is one of those cases, when you start making a gift, but you are the one receiving the most wonderful gift of all. To us this great gift was the smile of these kids,” Ened Mato, the Director of Ecovolis said. “Ecovolis in collaboration with Pedals for Progress is determined to continue this initiative. So far we have donated 100 bicycles in 10 centers and we are merely getting started. We will make other children smile by riding bicycles. And it’s not just about entertainment, but also presenting to them the vision of a beloved city, clean, and safe, since they are precisely the ones who walk on these streets every day.”spring2014albaniaBigGroup

It is great discovering that besides the gift of a smile, there has been bestowed upon these children a chance for a new world view—a new, achievable dream for those who all they have had are dreams. All this from the presence of a simple bicycle. In the mean time, they are riding—and smiling—without even knowing that this may be may be a ride towards the future.