April 24/09 12:21 pm - Bicycles For Humanity Partners with School Districts 44 & 45 to Collect Used Bicycles & Bike Parts for the People of Namibia

Posted by Editoress on 04/24/09
 

Bicycles for Humanity expands its' annual collection of used bicycles and bike parts for the people of Namibia to include a school in North Vancouver. Over the last two years this grassroots charitable organization shipped over 700 new and used bicycles, thousands of tons of bike parts and two forty foot containers to Africa.

While this project helps people in Namibia, this collection also provides a service learning opportunity for students in West and North Vancouver. Students learn about HIV/AIDS, global inequality, and global citizenship while taking their first step to becoming a global citizen. "Bicycles For Humanity is a powerful project because students can easily imagine individuals riding the bikes and using them to help meet their basic needs," say Dean Irvine, Principal of North Vancouver's Canyon Heights Elementary School. The addition of two schools in 2009 confirms the project's appeal as a valuable service learning experience.

The bicycles are delivered to the town of Oshikango on the Northern border of Namibia where they are distributed by the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) Namibia according to need. The reused bicycles that often end up in Vancouver landfills impact everyday life in Namibia in several ways: make food and water sources more accessible to families; break down distance barriers between children and education; and improve distribution of information and medication to inhibit the spread of HIV/AIDS. In addition, the bicycles create local employment.

Bicycles for Humanity strives to make the contribution of bicycles sustainable in the long-term. Once the bicycles arrive in Africa BEN Namibia turns the forty foot shipping container donated by Terminal Systems Inc. into a bike shop to service the bicycles and provide employment to mechanics. Norco Bikes - for the third year in a row—has generously donated several tons of bike parts to replace damaged or worn out parts of the bicycles.

This year's collection is Saturday May 2nd 2009 at Canyon Heights Elementary School in North Vancouver from 8AM-4PM. An advance collection will occur at Ridgeview Elementary School in West Vancouver during the two weeks preceding May 2nd; occurring from Monday, April 20th to Friday May 1st during school hours (9AM-3PM). For more information on collection details, visit www.bicycles-forhumanity. org/Vancouver .

For more information on the collection or the organizations involved please contact Scott Slater at sslater@sd45.bc.ca or via telephone at 604 984 1863.

Press release, Bicycles For Humanity - Vancouver