by Reykha Bonilla
InGear Fall 2006

2006 was a remarkable year for Pedals for Progress. We reached two important milestones, our 15th anniversary and our 100,000th bicycle. While we’re proud of our longevity, the second accomplishment symbolizes so many things for Pedals for Progress. It’s the culmination of 15 years of hard work and dedication from Dave Schweidenback, the P4P staff and countless volunteers. It means 100,000 bicycles have been saved from landfills here in the United States, and at least 100,000 Americans have been connected to the larger global community through our work. And most important, 100,000 of the world’s working-poor families now have a better chance to earn a decent living. Our 100,000th bicycle showed up at a collection sponsored by the Somerset Hills Kiwanis on June 24th at the Sunset Inn in Clinton, N.J. On hand to commemorate the occasion and read a proclamation was New Jersey State Senator Leonard Lance, who personally thanked the surprised donor, Bob Uhlendorf of High Bridge, for his noteworthy red 10-speed Rampar.

Once the collection was over and photographs taken, Bob’s old 10-speed was packed into a container with more than 500 other bikes destined for Guatemala and our partner nonprofit organization, FIDESMA (Integrated Foundation for Sustainable Development and the Environment). When the container shipped, I sent FIDESMA a letter identifying the bicycle and explaining why we were tracking it. Then in August I received word that the container, after an eight-week journey, finally arrived. And I flew there to meet it. Guatemala is a breathtaking country with tall green mountains and lush valleys. From the airport we followed the Pan-American Highway, two lanes that wound up and down the mountains. We passed robust and plentiful fields of corn, beans and strawberries. And every few minutes a brightly painted old school bus would honk loudly, pass and leave behind the acrid smell of diesel exhaust. As it cleared, the sweet, ever-present scent of wood smoke returned.

Two hours from Guatemala City, we left the Pan-Am highway, and in so doing, left pavement for paving stones. This was the road from the city of Chimaltenango to San Andres de Iztapa, a rural town of 13,000 at an elevation of 5,400 feet and the home of FIDESMA. A few miles later we were in San Andres, where dogs and chickens ran freely in the streets. Ours was one of the rare cars in town. More people were on bicycles and the ubiquitous red motorcycle taxis from India called Tuk-Tuks. In the distance one of Guatemala’s many active volcanoes peeks over San Andres. There is a vibrant indigenous culture throughout much of Guatemala. Men and women in San Andres still wear colorfully embroidered traditional garb and leather sandals and speak their indigenous languages as well as Spanish. Many of the younger people also wear “American”-style clothes, including jeans. At FIDESMA, three simple block buildings painted bright green, things were bustling. Through FIDESMA, residents in San Andres benefit from the bicycle sales, donations of corn (provided by the U.S. government), micro-loans for farmers and small businesses a free dental clinic and an affordable housing project.

It seemed nearly everyone in San Andres knew FIDESMA’s director, Margarita Catu, proof of the important role she and FIDESMA play in the community. During my first day there, with FIDESMA’s help I caught up to our 100,000th bike and met its new owner, Mateo Patzan—or “el Chino,” as he’s known around the region. Energetic and full of optimism, Mateo is a small man at 5 feet tall and has the slim body of a champion cyclist, which, I soon learned, he is. After inviting me to his humble two-room home constructed from adobe bricks and plastic sheets and with a corrugated zinc panel for a front door, he introduced me to his family and his many cycling trophies. His face lit up when I asked him about his cycling experiences over the past ten years and how he has managed to do so well with so few resources.

The proud father of five children, for the past seven years Mateo has also been the champion of Chilmaltenango. Mateo is from a small village outside of San Andres de Iztapa called Los Corrales. With his worn out bike, he not only wins races and competes with the best cyclists in Guatemala, he’s also an inspiration to the people of his town.

Cycling is a very popular sport in Guatemala. Mateo began cycling ten years ago at the age of 21. After becoming frustrated playing soccer, he thought it would be fun to try a more individual sport. During his first race, Mateo placed second. He wasn’t pleased with this result—he wanted to win. Determined to do so, he began working with his cyclist friends to learn how to train properly in order to win his next race. He’s since won many. FIDESMA supports Mateo by providing Gatorade, spare parts and cheers. With this modest sponsorship, he often beats professional racers with much bigger sponsors like Coca-Cola. Mateo explained that jumping to that next level of his sport and securing a big-time sponsor means competing for weeks at a time with no guarantee of a paycheck. While his dream is to get paid for cycling so he can support his family by doing what he loves, as the sole provider, it’s not a risk he’s willing to take.

Instead, he depends on his job as a security guard. After competing in races as long as 80 Kilometers and sometimes longer, he then returns to his farm to tend the crops with his son, often without having enough food and water. During my visit to Chilmaltenango, Mateo participated in a grueling citywide race in honor of Guatemalan Independence Day. In the final miles he was sitting comfortably in the lead group. But because his 10-year-old Bianchi racing bike no longer performs as well as it once did, a mechanical problem caused him to finish fifth against a field he was sure he could beat. One of the reasons FIDESMA thought the red Rampar would be perfect for Mateo is so he could use it for getting to and from work and for training, sparing his much-used Bianchi from additional wear and tear.

While cycling is Mateo’s primary means of transportation, it’s his passion for his sport that’s such a fitting complement to the story of our 100,000th bike. Bob Uhlendorf’s old red Rampar now belongs to someone for whom cycling is a way of life in a much richer sense than we ever expected. Thank you to FIDESMA and all the people I met on my travels and for the warm welcome I received in Guatemala. This was an experience I will always carry with me.

Fall 2006 InGear

Every day Santos uses his bicycle to travel the one-and-a-half kilometers from his house to his job at the local brick factory on the outskirts of San Antonio, Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Before he owned his bicycle, Santos had to walk to work as well as to his other activities. Now he moves easily from place to place without wasting time. He leaves work in the evening and still has enough time to get to his small farm and back home before dinner with his family. He even has more time on the weekends for socializing in the community and tending to his crops. Santos has also benefited from the bicycle mechanic course at FIDESMA. Over six months he learned everything he needed in order to maintain and repair his new bicycle. The standard of living for him and his family has already improved because of the bicycle he bought from FIDESMA.

Fall 2001 InGear

In November, 1999, P4P began shipping to FIDESMA (Fundación Integral de Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente). The first container of 438 bicycles was sponsored by the Golden Rule Foundation; a second shipment of 519 bikes was paid for in part by FIDESMA and partially by the Koinonia Foundation.

FIDESMA serves the highland indigenous community of San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango, providing agricultural extension and other education services, small enterprise assistance, and other community development services. P4P shipped the first container based on a brief proposal from the Guatemalan organization. Due to the isolation of the community and the limited financial capacity of FIDESMA, as well as the linguistic and cultural gulf between the two partners, subsequent communication was sparse, and PfP had little idea of the impact of the first shipment other than that FIDESMA desired another shipment – generally a good indicator!

Finally, in March 2001, FIDESMA submitted a substantive report. For P4P, it was worth the wait, as the information presented was extensive and appears to justify the investment. Included in the report was a detailed inventory breaking down bikes by category, whether or not they had been sold, etc., per container. The information enabled P4P to better assess its own effectiveness and characteristics in collecting, selecting, and packing, as well as to assess the impact of the bicycles overseas and the potential for sustainability of the relationship.

FIDESMA reported that the project was able to cover its costs, and hence appeared likely to be sustainable. The reported commercial value of the contents of each container ranged from slightly over $12,000 to almost $15,000 (since that time, improvements in packing and the addition of large quantities of valuable new parts donated by the US bike industry has augmented the value of shipments). The reported costs—including not just recurring operating and shipping expenses but also a value-added tax to be rebated and one-time investments in facilities and tools—were under $10,000 per container. We found out more about beneficiaries. FIDESMA reported that 40% of the purchasers were farmers, 25% students, 30% laborers and tradesmen, and 5% working women. Shop employment comprised a mechanic/shop administrator and mechanic’s assistant, supplemented by three full-time apprentices and two part-time apprentices. FIDESMA is seeking a training institute to certify a six-month bike mechanic’s apprenticeship course.

FIDESMA interviewed half a dozen recipients of bicycles and shared the notes with P4P. All were positive, citing the savings in time getting to work, doing errands for the family, and getting to school. Edwin Paulich Velázquez, for example, reported spending as much as four hours daily on his bike, using it principally to cover the five kilometers to work. Not everyone uses the bike solely for work however. Another respondent — Carlos Arnoldo Bueno, who also uses his bike to get to work — specifically mentioned his newfound ability to engage in competitive racing.

José Siquinajay is the local mail carrier. Twenty-nine-years-old and married, José has for several years managed San Andres Itzapa’s mail and telegraph services. Each day he opens the post office and attends to the communication needs of the town. Twice weekly, he goes by bus to nearby Chimaltenango, the provincial seat, to pick up the mail. On his return, he utilizes his bike, obtained through FIDESMA, to deliver the mail throughout the town, covering distances up to two kilometers and up and down steep inclines. According to José, he saves time, gets the mail faster and sooner to customers, and is getting in good physical shape.

Finally, FIDESMA cited the long-term institutional benefits. Not only did the project benefit the community and raise the local group’s profile, the non-profit institution’s skills also strengthened it in business and project management, dealing with government institutions such as Customs and the Ministry of Finance, and generating income for institutional overhead.