By Alan Schultz
Summer 2021 Newsletter
In February 2021, Pedals for Progress celebrated thirty years of service collecting bicycles and sewing machines to be donated to developing countries around the world. Among the 160,000 bicycles and 5,000 sewing machines sent to 45 countries, Pedals for Progress has been able to facilitate the growth and development of countless communities, families, and individuals. These achievements are not met by happenstance. There are several moving parts in the machine that are required for the “progress” in Pedals for Progress to take hold.
The partners we work with overseas are among the most important components of our entire operation. Without the many groups we work with, distributing bicycles and sewing machines would be nearly impossible. Development of our cause and the further distribution of bicycles is reliant on building new relationships with communities unreached by Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace.
As a crucial part of our development, Pedals for Progress is proud to announce a new partnership with the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association. We are very happy to be working with the RWCA, as they will be a relationship necessary to put our used bikes to good use in a region of the world that is challenging to access and distribute to.
Oliver Nsengimana is the founder and lead conservationist in charge of the RWCA. Oliver and his team are dedicated to the conservation of Rwanda’s vast wildlife. The association’s flagship project is protecting the endangered species of grey crowned cranes, a species of crane that is on the brink of extinction. The grey crowned crane is often poached and captured by the nation’s wealthy classes as the crane is seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. For years, the gray crowned crane has been struggling to survive, as its natural population is dwindling. However, Oliver and his team have made massive developments through their program’s initiatives, which include rehabilitating illegally captured cranes, educating the public, and collecting data to track the reestablished growth of the gray crowned crane. The RWCA aims to continue their conservation of Rwanda’s rich wildlife focusing on other threatened species in the country.
Paying attention to their local environment creates self-sustaining environmental procedures that have larger implications for building eco-tourism opportunities in the region. Building a strong team of conservationists who understand the larger implications of maintaining a healthy environment will lead to a community that is well equipped for maintaining a stronger, eco-friendly local economy. This new partnership is made merrier by our common connection with the RWCA. Oliver Nsengimana was named a Rolex Laureate in 2014 to honor and promote the work he and his team have done rehabilitating and reintroducing gray cranes back to the wild. In 2000, Pedals for Progress’s Dave Schweidenback was also named a Rolex Laureate, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s thirty-year history. Rolex is responsible for this new connection between the RWCA and P4P.
Together, the fellow alumni of the program will now begin to break new ground as partners and continue environmentally conscious acts of service to the world. In fact, we are proud to announce that on May 15th we sent our very first container to Rwanda: 503 bikes and 43 sewing machines. In six months a second container of goods will be on its way to Rwanda to further cement our partnership. The bicycles will be a great help to the RWCA and the people in the surrounding communities. Bicycles will go directly to the RWCA to help their conservationists cover more ground to collect more data necessary for the development of their many environmental efforts. The RWCA is also involved in activities with local schools and youth clubs, community campaigns, and rangers that will receive the bikes to generate their own self-sufficient enterprises made possible by the bicycles and sewing machines.
Our new partnership with the RWCA, following our 30-year celebration of operation, shows the continued growth of Pedals for Progress. We are happy to be able to continue to create new relationships with organizations that have like-minded goals of creating environmentally sound solutions to develop the growth of communities in need.
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.
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.
