I am Catherine. My two colleagues in the photos are Akouwavi and Améyo. We are apprentice seamstresses and we are part of a program that our promoter calls Youth Socioeconomic Empowerment, a program that pays the costs of the training contracts and then, at the end of our apprenticeship, provides us with sewing machines to allow us to open our own workshops. A few weeks ago, we received our machines and are already working. It is a great joy to see these photos of ourselves.
Akouwavi
With these sewing machines, we will work and save money, take care of ourselves, take care of our families and send our children to school. We have finally reached the end of our training and here we are with our sewing machines as promised. These machines are essential tools for our small businesses. All this is possible thanks to the support of the DRVR-TOGO and its partner Pedals for Progress / Sewing Peace. It is because of you, the donors, that our dreams have become realities.
Améyo
We are appealing to all P4P loyal partners and donors: Used sewing machines, bikes, and other tools as far as the eye can see are left in your garages, basements, stores, and offices. Donating them to P4P will help people and save lives in communities thousands of miles away from you on the other side of the world. Many thanks to you, David, and all your tireless P4P team for your dedication to social causes.
Essenam
I am Essenam. I am an apprentice seamstress. I would like through this little note to express my gratitude to DRVR-TOGO, Pedals for Progress, and all their partners and donors who contribute from near and far to help support vulnerable populations all over the world and as well as our communities here in Togo. I have not been to school like many young girls of my age have, so I decided to learn a trade, and the choice fell on sewing, a trade of my dreams since childhood.
Before the DRVR-TOGO bicycle program, I had to leave the house very early in the morning. I would arrive at the workshop late and tired, and then come back late at night, when travel is risky.
With this nice bike in the photo, I now arrive on time at the workshop to continue my learning with a lot of determination. Words fail me and all my family to thank the American donors to the P4P organization. Once again thank you for everything. Through my voice, I appeal to P4P and its partners to continue this program again and again to help other people in different areas of need.
Emefa
My name is Emefa and I am 14 years old. I am a student in the first-year class in high school. For the 2020–2021 school year, officials from DRVR-TOGO came to our establishment with a program to cover tuition fees and supplies and support to promote the education of orphaned and vulnerable children, especially young girls. I was the first in my class for the end-of-year exam. To continue my study in high school, I have to travel impossible kilometers to go to my classes, because there is no college in my village. You have to go to the town next door instead. With this bike from DRVR-TOGO and P4P, I could not hide my joy and that of my entourage. We sincerely thank you. My wish is that this program continues so that other students can benefit from it.
Afiwa
My name is Ania and I am a widow with two children: Afiwa is ten years old and Komlan is six. I sell boiled meat on the side of the road in my neighborhood to feed and take care of my children and especially to send them to school. Every morning I have to leave my activity and bring my children to school and pick them up in the evening at sunset.
Komlan
Some time ago a client told me about a DRVR-TOGO bicycle program and a child who had already benefited. I went to inquire about the program, and to my great surprise my two children got their own bikes. Now they leave the house every morning and came back in the evening after class without difficulty.
My two children and I say thank you to you the donors, to P4P, its president, David, and all his staff. We also offer a big thank-you to DRVR-TOGO here with us in our community.
In November 2021, Dave Schweidenback and I went on a trip to Arusha, Tanzania, to make a visit to our partners at the Norbert and Friends Missions. While Pedals for Progress has made shipments to Tanzania in the past, our relationship with Norbert and Friends is still fresh, starting in the fall of 2019. We took the opportunity to meet Norbert and his dedicated team, give advice, and to learn from them on both a professional and cultural level.
Arusha was busy. Fast moving taxis, buses, trucks, and motorcycles dominate the roads. The biggest takeaway was the sheer number of people who walked among these fast-moving vehicles. Everyone walks. You’d often see small children, five or six years old, walking with their much younger siblings in large groups. Mothers walk with babies on their backs. Marching squads of school children in matching clothes rush to and from school. Even along desolate, secluded roads you would pass people every mile, wondering how they got there. The number of bicycles was high, and it’s clear why bicycles are important – the pace of living is fast, and you need to keep up to make a living.
There is so much activity, so much movement, that you need a smart way to keep up. The bicycle fills this need. It shrinks the massive size of the country and makes distance more manageable. You instantly see the benefits when passing school children miles away from their schools. You see how the further you get from the main city, the more life gets stretched out. The doctor is further, schools are further, markets are further, everything is further away, yet the need to reach these destinations remains.
Moving along the roads you notice that nearly every home is transformed into a storefront during the day. Tin roofs cover the cement buildings, many open to the street, so you can get a glimpse of what’s inside. Hairdressers, art sellers, convenience stores, grocers, food vendors, clothing stores, carpenters, masons. It seemed that all business was done inside or at the doorstep of someone’s home. This began to excite me; I wanted the chance to meet some of these people who ran these shops, especially those associated with Norbert and Friends Missions.
We met with Norbert and his team several times during our trip. We were able to talk about our organizations and exchange expectations, problems, and plans. Seeing their bicycle operation was an incredible experience. Their bike shop was like many of the shops along the main roads. It was modest, bare, but getting the job done. They had a handful of bikes on display with another 20 or so in storage as they were getting down to the last of their shipment. This was good to see, as it means the 444 bikes we shipped in July 2021 have been successfully distributed.
What blew me away most was recognizing some of the bicycles that I had a direct hand in loading. There was even a small motor we shipped that was donated by an individual at Faith Lutheran Church in New Providence, New Jersey! After making the long journey, standing there in the middle of their shop in Tanzania was an impressive reminder of how far our goods travel.
As we started to meet people, the significance of what we do continued to bloom. One of the groups associated with Norbert and Friends Missions is Master’s Men Africa, a religious men’s group focused on bringing awareness to mental health among men in Tanzania and Kenya. They advocate for removing the stigma of talking about mental health among men and they bring awareness to the high suicide rate of men throughout Africa.
I spoke with a new graduate of the group named Abura Markson from Uganda. We shared stories and spoke about our organizations. He was very interested in hearing about Pedals for Progress and happy to know that we were working so closely with Norbert. Talking with him made me realize a nuanced and overlooked aspect of the P4P mission. Poverty is a tremendous weight that people bear and deal with, in a multitude of ways. The emotions associated with poverty, such as shame, helplessness, and depression, can well and bubble within a person and across a community. Africa has the highest suicide rate in the world. Whatever the reasons may be, there is no doubt that extreme poverty has something to do with it. It was in that moment talking to Abura that I realized what we are doing could be saving people from taking their own lives, through the simple act of donating a bicycle.
Joel, our main point of contact with Norbert and Friends, and Sanai, an employee of Norbert’s, graciously took us around the city of Arusha and the surrounding areas, to introduce us to some of the recipients of our sewing machines.
Sarah outside her shop
One of the first people we met who received a Sewing Peace machine was a woman named Sarah. Her small sewing studio is in the center of Arusha several levels up inside a multi-use apartment building. The small, dimly lit room, six by twelve feet, overflowing with fabric, was a sure signal of a hard-working individual. Sanai translated for us and retold bits of her story. She has been sewing for six years and since then has been able to put her children through school. Her four children are either now enrolled, or graduated university. She stays busy by making custom dresses, producing two or three elaborate dresses per day.
Access to electricity is the main challenge brought up by everyone we visited, Sarah being the first to mention it. The machines that are donated to us are mostly electric machines, and access to reliable electricity is simply something that the infrastructure of Tanzania cannot maintain. There is access but it’s sparse, as it will frequently shut off without warning with no telling when it will return. Manual treadle machines are great but older women like Sarah, who work long hours behind the machine, feel tremendous strain on their knees. Sarah mentioned how she likes to alternate to utilize the moments of electricity and to give her joints a rest.
Sarah also told us about the challenge of finding specific and specialized machines and attachments. At our collections we often say, “if we get it, they get it.” Sewing Peace simply does not have the capacity to seek out specific machines like overlock machines, which are highly sought after by independent seamstresses. These machines are highly desirable but relatively rare at our collections. At our most efficient we try to send at least two of these machines with every pallet of Sewing Peace sewing machines. However, that only accounts for two out of seventy-two, and even that we cannot guarantee.
We moved a little further outside of Arusha, passing a road-side bike stand where we took a moment to stretch our legs and talk bikes. This shop at the crossroads of two main roads was relatively large, with a good range of quality bikes. We took the moment to explain to Joel and Sanai about bicycle quality differences so they could price P4P bikes accordingly. Our partners must be able to provide a fair range of prices, while also maximizing their profits by selling quality bikes to those that can afford them.
Rachel
About 45 minutes outside of Arusha, we met a second sewing machine recipient, named Rachel, who has been running her shop within a busy market area for five years. She commented on how she loves the quality of her Sewing Peace machine but still runs into the same problem operating an electric machine on an unpredictable power grid. She works from the center of her small shop that has a counter with various sewing notions enclosed in a glass case. The back three walls have shelves filled with hygienic products, larger spools of thread, and a large assortment of fabric for sale.
Danielle
Later, we met Danielle, Norbert’s wife, who has been running a small shop in their neighborhood for the past two years. Her shop is very similar to Rachel’s, as she sells various goods surrounding her sewing machine in the middle of her shop. She mostly uses her shop as a convenience store for the neighborhood, selling soap, candy, cooking oil, and other goods. She uses her sewing machine to supplement shop income. She specializes in embroidered cloth used as dining mats or decoration. It is incredibly impressive as she uses a basic sewing machine to embroider flowers and other designs on colorful fabric. She takes custom orders for dresses and other commissioned design work.
It’s incredible to see firsthand how these women have created a life around one single machine. Hours upon hours of dedication have allowed them to build sturdy businesses around a specialized skill. It’s inspiring to see how they navigate problems beyond their control, all while continuing their enterprises. They either switch machines or find other ways to make money in the off time. Our machines donated by individuals in the United States end up in the hands of truly powerful businesswomen.
We left Tanzania feeling extremely satisfied. We have confidence in the Norbert and Friends Missions as they showed a high level of motivation and sense of urgency to supply their community with bicycles and sewing machines. We are excited to continue our relationship with them and to continue to supply them with the used bicycles and sewing machines donated by our generous donors throughout the tri-state area. The support we receive from our donors, volunteers, and organizations in the United States lifts the lives of others by helping build business, improve mental health, provide reliable transportation, and give hope and ambition to those who eagerly need a helping hand.
From: Simon Akouete <simonakouete@gmail.com>
Date: December 12, 2021 at 6:24:12 PM EST
To: David Schweidenback <dschweidenback@gmail.com>
Hello David,
I hope you and all your team are doing well. I would like to confirm that we have finished the procedures for getting the container through port and customs. The bicycles and sewing machines as well as all spare parts have arrived at the headquarters of the DRVR-TOGO association in Vogan. All our thanks to the PEDALS FOR PROGRESS team and especially to you David, without forgetting the multiple partners and donors among the American people who have made this initiative a reality.
We want to confirm to you that your will to act in favor of aid for the development of communities on the other side of the world can only arouse great admiration on the part of the beneficiaries for this noble action that you continue to bring to vulnerable and marginalized populations languishing under the effects of misery and poverty, who need you more than ever for their survival. We cannot write this note without referring to this pandemic of the century which has taken human lives, wiped out our efforts, and brought us to our knees. We are asking ourselves one and only one question: Covid-19, when is the end? …
We are not going to give up, we are going to work, we are going to get up again and again.
A big thank you to you David and especially to your dynamic and tireless team.
Simon Yawo Galé AKOUETE, Coordinateur Association DRVR-TOGO
My name is David. I am from Njiro Arusha Tanzania. I am so thankful to God for getting a bicycle for exercise and also as a tool to enable me to ever be in my workplace. Congratulations to the P4P Project under The Norbert and Friends Missions for the excellent work you are doing to help us young people by providing work tools such as bicycles so that we can build a body and use a bicycle as a means of transportation.
From Mrs Johari:
My son loves cycling and has now been crying for P4P bikes for him to exercise. I wish I could continue to pay a little more so that my son can exercise using this bike, which is his size.
From Raphael:
My name is Rafael. During this corona period I was lucky enough to get a bicycle from the P4P Center under The Norbert and Friends Missions in Arusha. The bike has helped me get to work on time but most of all my health has improved and I am currently not having trouble breathing. My chest feels strong.
From Norbert:
My name is Dr Norbert Mbwiliza. I am the founder of The Norbert and Friends Missions. I have been fortunate to be among the project beneficiaries who have received a practice bike from the P4P Project. Fortunately I have found a bicycle with which we are encouraged to exercise in Tanzania as part of the fight against Covid-19. As you can see, my health is improving thanks to the exercise I get by cycling. I thank my friend David and the entire P4P team for your great support, which has helped us earn an income by selling bicycles and sewing machines. Through your support the incomes of Tanzanians are strengthened.
“Freedom and Unity” is the motto of the great State of Vermont. Much of what we do at Pedals for Progress is based on this exact principle. Our goal is to send used bicycles and sewing machines to motivated people in the developing world in the hopes that they can have the freedom to get to where they need to be, creating a better life for themselves. This goal requires a great amount of unity here in the United States. We cannot do what we do without the help from hundreds of dedicated people throughout the country. The Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (GMRPCVs) of Vermont are some of our most productive domestic partners. Every year for 22 years they’ve sent bikes and sewing machines from 300 miles away.
FedEx, another generous domestic partner, ships the bikes at no charge from Vermont to our warehouse in New Jersey. In 2020, FedEx delivered the 4000th bike from Vermont.
The GMRPCV operation, led by Joanne Heidkamp, Paul Demers, and Bob Thompson, along with the rest of the volunteers, requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. We are happy to report that, this year alone, the members of the Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers collected 312 bikes and 204 sewing machines from hundreds of Vermonters throughout the state. They held collections on Friday 9/24 in Montpelier and on Saturday 9/25 in Burlington. We here at Pedals for Progress would like to share a little bit about what they have done over the years and give thanks to the many people and groups involved with this difficult endeavor.
Getting the word out about our collections is always the biggest hurdle when organizing an event. What makes a successful collection is not simply stating that there will be a bike collection, but communicating to the public exactly what the collection is for. The GMRPCVs have been able to nail it year after year. MyNBC5, the local NBC station, ran a fantastic news piece that does exactly that. It perfectly showcases what they aim to do and where the bikes will be going and the lasting impact the bikes will have on the communities they are being sent to. Press releases like this not only spread the word, but convey infectious motivation that encourages people to come out to the collections. Here is the two-minute video from MyNBC5.
Vermont’s collections are particularly impressive because of the large number of sewing machines collected. Most of the machines are collected by Mary O’Brien, who works in the solid waste management department of Windsor County. She collects machines all year round, cleans, oils, and tests them. She uses pretty cloth, sometimes handkerchiefs or napkins, to hold sewing notions, a pin cushion, and reading glasses, and puts it all together in a kit for each machine. She also includes user manuals for the machines. The machines and their accessories must be astonishing to our overseas partners who get them.
This year, Mary also donated her classic, dearly loved road bike, which she had owned for most of her life and which she rode across the US in 1981. The bike has a personality of its own, reflecting the life-long activist and humanitarian that rode it. The bike is equipped with red panniers and an “anti-nuke bicyclist” sticker. The well-loved bike that has seen a lifetime adventure will continue its journey in its new home in Guatemala. It will double its life as a bicycle and see even more of the world while providing someone with a valuable means of transportation.
It is truly inspiring to see the great work that The Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have done for Pedals for Progress and the countless people and families associated with our international partners. We would again like to thank everyone involved. This year’s collection was certainly one worth celebrating. We greatly look forward to continuing this fantastic relationship and we are filled with excitement for next year’s collection.
On August 19, 2021, on behalf of Pedals for Progress, I had the great privilege to be sent to Albania to visit our partners at Ecovolis, to meet with Ened Mato and the rest of his extraordinary team to get to know them and discuss their operations.
For the past eight months I have been working closely with Dave, Gary, and the rest of the team at P4P, as the newly elected Vice President of Operations. Working for Pedals for Progress since high school has always been a joy for me. The work we do here is truly inspirational and makes any day of hard work loading a container well worth it. I was offered the full-time position and instantly knew it was something I wanted to take on. I was extremely excited to accept the position to dedicate more of my time and skills to our cause of shipping bikes and sewing machines to motivated people in the developing world.
Dave was very aware of the biggest flaw in my resume (and life experience) when hiring me for a larger role in an international organization like P4P. My lack of travel. I had never left the country. The furthest north I had been was Boston, furthest south was the Outer Banks, furthest west was Central Pennsylvania and furthest east was swimming at the Jersey Shore. Lewis and Clark would be ashamed of my lack of westward expansion. Dave knew I needed to learn from the world, to get a better understanding of our mission and what we’re up against.
I woke up one morning at the end of June to an email with the Subject line: Crazy Idea. I opened it and read a thread of messages between Dave and Ened, asking if he’d be interested in hosting me at his summer camp in Jale for a week to give me the opportunity to learn about the world by seeing it on my own. Ened was instantly on board with the idea and more than happy to host me. I was in shock, filled with excitement, anxiety, and joy.
Jale, Albania
Fast forward to mid-august, I was boarding a plane to Albania alone with a backpack and newly acquired passport on my first journey out of the country thinking “what did I get myself into.” I had often dreamt of going abroad. The experience didn’t feel real stepping outside onto the tarmac at Tirana International Airport. I was picked up by Ervin, a long-time employee for Ecovolis. The four-hour trip from Tirana to Jale was spent getting to know Ervin and the work Ecovolis has done for the capital city of Tirana. Their biggest program is a bike sharing initiative where residents can rent bikes for a very small fee to navigate the city. This greatly helps people commute while alleviating some of the traffic of the small but bustling city. To better accommodate cyclists, Ecovolis also has been pushing the city to create, grow, and maintain bike lanes and other infrastructure that will make it much safer to travel throughout the city. Ervin expressed the great need for bicycle safety and advocacy to draw the public’s trust to this method of transportation. This is something that is essential for any city that wants to successfully reduce traffic and emissions made by cars and buses. Ecovolis does not simply distribute bikes, but is making a difference by having bicycle transportation not just reliable and available, but sustainable and appealing to the public.
Ecovolis in Albania is a fascinating organization as they have a true passion for environmentalism on several fronts. As we made our way to Jale, we traversed breathtaking mountain views overlooking wonderfully blue seafront. Ervin was describing the eco-tourist campground that we would be staying at for the week, one of the many programs Ecovolis is involved with. He had been there for two months prior, and came to Tirana to pick me up and collect more tents and other supplies for the camp. It was one of the many initiatives they take part in to return to nature and help strengthen people’s connection to the natural world. In the off season while not at the camp, they return to Tirana for their bike initiative while also working on other projects like planting trees with local volunteers to revitalize the diminished forest in Lurë.
When we arrived at camp, I was blown away at what they have created. Two blocks away from the beautiful beachfront was the entrance to the camp that scaled the steep mountain. It was broken up into several levels. Entering camp at the bottom-most level there was a volleyball and soccer court where young people can play games and relax. A handful of bikes were positioned here and available to anyone at camp, allowing them to ride around the small town and get to the beach. Climbing the stairs that led up to the various levels there were some RV-campers and other common areas. On the third level there was an open-air kitchen and a large area with plenty of tables and chairs for people to gather and eat meals. Further up the mountain, following the rocky steps, I approached the several levels of campground with 150 or so tents placed beautifully under the abundance of olive trees. Ping pong tables, common areas, a bar with drinks, and fire pits were also sprinkled about the area. Painted wooden paths and fences brought an elevated level of color to the already vibrant camp. It was an intimate community with plenty of friendly faces with welcoming smiles.
Alan and Ened
Settling in, I was finally able to meet Ened, the lead organizer of Ecovolis. He instantly made me feel at home and was extremely hospitable. He told me more about the camp and the many things him and his team are involved with throughout Albania. The camp was set up in the early 2000s with the idea of bringing eco-tourism to Albania to build the country’s economy in an honest, fair, and sustainable manner. Ened is a true trailblazer, inspiring several other camps up and down the coast for others with like-minded ideas of providing people with peaceful eco-tourism opportunities. Ened’s camp has the capacity to hold up to two-hundred people with full amenities. He hosts various youth programs and students throughout the summer. Travelers and other youth from several different parts of Albania and Kosovo are also welcomed and bused to and from the camp. For a small fee of US $7 a day, each tenant has access to a tent, showers and running water, bathrooms, and breakfast and dinner. There is access to an on-site bar with espresso, water, and flavored drinks that cost less than they would at the beach. These funds supplement the camp allowing them to continue to buy necessary food and supplies.
Camp Bar
Ened explained that the growth of the camp, in its 20th year, has been very promising and stronger than ever. The entire experience is a great way to remove oneself from the typical consumerist vacation that many people grapple with. Cell phones and social media use are frowned upon to the extent of one sign encouraging people to have conversation eye to eye. The culture at camp revolved heavily around companionship and camaraderie. Camp felt tight knit, as if everyone knew everyone.
Camp Kitchen
One night, Ened and I were sitting a bit removed from the campfire as many of the other campers surrounded it while listening to a performer sing songs playing an acoustic guitar. We were talking about the mission of Ecovolis and the reason behind the camp. Albania’s history is very dense, especially in the last 50 years as they have grappled with corruption, civil war and reconstruction. Ened has a deep desire to be able to create and maintain a community – his country – of people dedicated to peace and environmentalism. He is proud of what he has created as the camp reflects these desires to create a community of people that are self-sufficient and making efforts to remove themselves from the rat-race of the 21st century. Paraphrasing, Ened said “take for example these kids, what they are doing is so anti-system, they are young and can go down to the bars down below, but instead choose to be here singing around the campfire under the stars.” He continued to explain his greater mission of using the bikes we send him as “soldiers in a bigger fight” against the various forms of corruption within the country. They are used as tools to mobilize the community, to allow them to get to where they need to be, to build something from the ground up that they can all call home.
The people at camp certainly follow Ened’s vision. Among the people at camp I came across a group of friends close in age to myself that stand out most in my mind. They were bused down from Kosovo and invited me to have espresso with them down at the beach one morning. Like any new group of friends, we talked about our backgrounds, hobbies, interests and what we do for a living. I told them about Pedals for Progress and while they did not work for Ecovolis, and were in Jale for a short vacation, they instantly gravitated to and understood our mission. It was a moment of clarity for me, and a sobering reminder of what we do. They didn’t have the same kind of interest in our organization that people my age have here in the United States have for P4P. It was through a different lens I saw how important our work is. They instantly recognized how useful a bicycle can be for someone. They thought of how important a tool like a bicycle can be for the people back home in Kosovo. When my friends from the United States see a bicycle, they do so as a product of leisure or exercise. Abroad, in a developing country, it is much more. I was blown away seeing the agency this group of guys had when they heard more of our program. They explained how Kosovo and Albania, like many countries in the Balkans, are struggling to build themselves, many being newly formed governments. They know that the bicycle is a way to achieve a fulfilling, successful life with long-term security. They saw the tool and thought of their homes and the people they care about, people who can use that tool to greatly change their lives.
Throughout the week, staying and working at the camp, I was constantly surrounded by hard-working people dedicated to a greater cause. Ervin, who I spent the great majority of the trip with, was a well of knowledge and inspiration. One day, Ervin, the chef at the camp Ari, and I went a few towns over to pick up mattress pads to bring back to camp. They were in storage located behind a group of bungalows accessible only by a tight winding path that went up the mountain. We loaded over 200 foam pads onto a flatbed parked at the bottom of the road. Relentlessly hauling ten mattresses at a time, Ervin and Ari showed an energy that never flagged. Ervin’s mindset is captured by this image and another moment when we were paddling a canoe in the sea. We were paddling against the wind to access a small private beach. The closer we got the harder it was to paddle, yelling to me in the back he said “Do you see the beach? We must keep going! We can see the beach, so we can go touch the beach!” It is that mentality that stuck with me the most. Ervin and the rest of the people at Ecovolis can see the beach – they see a community that can be better, that can serve a purpose and be peaceful. They are pushing to touch that beach and make it a reality.
One of my main jobs here at P4P is loading our containers. Before my trip to Albania, closing the doors and putting a seal on the container, with the bikes officially on their journey to a new country, the destination always seemed vague and distant. Being able to interact with people who receive our bikes has closed that gap and has given me a better understanding of the extent of our mission. It was an amazing experience to be thrown headfirst into the world, beyond the two square miles of High Bridge, New Jersey, to face a previously unseen part of myself and the world. It’s motivating to know the groups we work with have a deep desire to change the communities they love. Traveling to Albania, the concept of mobility was hard to escape. It’s intrinsic to what we do, as the bicycle gives people the opportunity to be mobile, to go beyond what they are capable of on foot. When you have mobility, you have the opportunity to create change. This change is multifaceted and goes beyond simple transportation to work and school. It includes personal and private change. Cycling gives personal freedom to expand your reach within your community, to be active with your friends and family. To be able to connect with the people in your life, to see them eye to eye and live comfortably beside them, gives a community greater strength to push forward and grow on so many different levels. While this has always been a core tenet of Pedals for Progress, it resonated at a much deeper level to me after this trip. It was truly an honor to see the camaraderie, companionship, hard work, and passion I came across during my time in Albania, generated from people who simply want to improve the world.
Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association uses bikes to help protect and manage important wetland areas. Rugezi Marsh is a 6,735 hectare wetland protected by RAMSAR. We have a team of 50 community Marsh Rangers patrolling the wetland and watching out for activities that are not allowed and will destroy the marsh habitat, such as grazing livestock, cutting down trees in the buffer zone, hunting wildlife or cutting grass.
To improve the management and law enforcement of this important wetland, we also work in close partnership with local leaders around the marsh.
With the bikes from Pedals for Progress we were recently able to distribute bikes to all local leaders working near Rugezi Marsh – a total of 187! They were so happy to receive these bikes. The bikes will make a big difference in their communities and will increase collaboration with the Rangers.
During the event, one leader made a speech about the significance of the bikes and how much they were appreciated by him and his colleagues. He described how the projects at Rugezi are life changing. He believes that the bike will help him respond quickly when Rangers call, especially during their patrols when they need support in resolving illegal activities. The bikes will also help in daily life, providing transportation to the market or to church. Having a bike will also save money that they might spend on public transport and save time getting where they need to go.
Once the local leaders have started using their new bikes, we will check in with them to better understand the impact they have had on their job roles and family life. Thank you to Pedals for Progress for helping support conservation at Rugezi Marsh in Rwanda.
Our spring 2021 collection season ended on June 19th in Delmar, New York. Because of Covid-19, we collected fewer bikes and sewing machines than in recent years. Still, we managed to ship three containers.
May 15: Rwanda #1
503 bikes and 43 sewing machines.
May 29: Togo #4
463 bikes and 53 sewing machines.
July 10: Tanzania #8
444 bikes and 43 sewing machines.
Donate bicycles and sewing machines to developing countries
