MAKING A DIFFERENCE
EXPERIENCING THE POWER OF MOBILITY
We knew when we started Project Zambia that bicycles would make a difference in the health and well-being of people in need. Our experience in Sri Lanka taught us that mobility in the form of bicycles can literally save lives. And through World Vision, we learned that RAPIDS in Zambia is on the front line of HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and that bicycles would empower their mission.

What we didn't anticipate is some of the unique distribution needs the bicycle can fulfill. This was brought home to me recently when I heard a story about the very real impact our bicycles have had. Last summer, RAPIDS received a large donation of insecticide-treated bed nets to help combat malaria. These nets arrived in the country just before the rainy season, and were then distributed by bicycle to remote areas. Without the bicycles, there was no way the nets could have been distributed in time to be effective.

This year's rainy season has seen horrible rains and flooding throughout southern Africa. Because of this, the potential for malaria infections, especially in children, has been very high. So it was exciting to hear from a RAPIDS partner about their visit to a rural clinic, where they did not see many malaria patients waiting to be treated. What had happened? They asked the doctors, who explained that malaria infections were down significantly because of the bed nets. It was a touching story, and another reminder of the importance of simple mobility as a way to assist the world.  - F.K.


FROM THE FIELD  by Mike Knapp, Intern
CELEBRATING PARTNERSHIPS AND DISTRIBUTING BIKES: U.S. AMBASSADOR VISITS CHAINDA

The usually subdued quiet of the impoverished Chainda Compound in Lusaka was overwhelmed by the energetic singing of volunteer Caregivers on February 15, welcoming U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez to Mututa Memorial Center.

Ambassador Martinez was there, along with World Vision USA President Rich Stearns, Director of Clinical Care for the Zambian Ministry of Health Dr. James Simpungwe, and our own F.K. Day, to celebrate the ongoing partnership between World Bicycle Relief, RAPIDS, and Tata Zambia, and to distribute bicycles to 200 volunteer Caregivers.

From L to R: F.K. Day, James Meteo of World Vision Zambia, and
U.S. Ambassador Carmen Martinez

The singers, World Vision RAPIDS caregivers, were there to receive these bicycles, which would provide much needed mobility to aid them in their caregiving work as well as their day-to-day lives.

Ambassador Martinez stressed in her remarks the importance of approaching HIV/AIDS and poverty in innovative ways, and acknowleged World Bicycle Relief for accomplishing that by providing mobility through public/private partnerships.

Mr. Stearns said that future Zambian generations would praise their grandparents, the caregivers, along with World Vision and World Bicycle Relief for standing up and uniting to combat together, and to eventually defeat, the "lion that is HIV/AIDS."

He likened the disease to the predator, hunting a community's weak and instilling fear and despair in all.


PHOTO EXHIBIT CONNECTS VISITORS, ZAMBIA
Students, teachers and folks from the Wheaton community and around the Chicago area attended a reception at Wheaton College to hear our very own Leah Missbach Day talk about the collision of the artistic process and the building of World Bicycle Relief as part of the photo exhibit Assemble With Care: Bicycle Workers and their Recipients in Zambia. The show ran through the month, with a reception on Thursday, February 21.

Leah's photographs were stunning, and the reception was awesome. Leah walked the audience through her creative process, and really engaged them in a way that brought the photographs and her work to life. It was very obvious that she cares deeply about her work, and more importantly about the subjects she photographs. That connection is what makes her portraits so strong, and her "fly-on-the-wall" work so intriguing.

Lisa Kueng, a graphic designer who attended the event, told us afterward that she brought "my friend Michele along, and we were both struck by the expression and human experience Leah captured in her photographs."


2U = 10 BIKES!
Last month we reported on the very special efforts of Chicago's Second Unitarian Church. We are happy to report that from a month's worth of half their collection plate, Second Unitarian Church raised enough money for 10 bicycles for Project Zambia!  The community of Caregivers in Zambia thank the community of Unitarians in Chicago.  Way to go 2U!


DEVELOPMENT UPDATE  by Jill Reid, VP of Development
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE MORE THAN $1,000 FOR WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF
Last spring, Ben Holden and his wife visited a World Vision program in Zambia. While there, they saw Caregivers with their bicycles from World Bicycle Relief. When Ben returned to his work as a youth pastor in North Carolina, they told the students that they wanted them to take on the raising of money for these bicycles as their mission project for December. Ben and his wife brought the story home by showing the students videos from the World Bicycle Relief web site and stories about the Caregivers, their responsibilities and needs.

They challenged the students to give as their first gift of the season and to be creative in finding ways to come up with the money. In turn, students babysat, did odd jobs and chores, and they used money they had been saving to buy things for themselves. They did anything they could do to go above and beyond their normal efforts to make money for this effort rather than something for themselves.

In just two weeks, the students raised $1,026, without the help of their parents! Their contributions will purchase 10 bicycles for Project Zambia, and affect the lives of more than 100 people, half a world away.


YOUTUBE VIDEO SHARES ATHLETIC INSPIRATION
Katie Bolling, of Northfield, Illinois, is an Ironwoman. Besides being a wife and mother, Katie is a triathlete, and qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, last October. Because she recognizes the Power of Bicycles, Katie dedicated her training to World Bicycle Relief, helping raise contributions and awareness, despite a series of obstacles that threatened to derail her race.

Following the amazing accomplishment of completing the Ironman, Katie wanted to find a way to keep giving. She shared with us this inspirational video of her athletic journey, which we'd like to share with you. (You may want a tissue!)

TECH NOTES  by Craig DeAmbrose, Product Manager
IMPROVING THE BIKE DESIGN, ONE PART AT A TIME 
The idea of basic mobility as empowerment is a powerful one, and it's at the heart of why we do what we do. It doesn't take a whole lot to understand that providing a bicycle to someone is one of the most effective tools to lift them out of poverty. But what makes the bicycle as a machine such an effective tool?

• Is it the relatively small cost?
• Is its simple mechanical nature?
• Is its adaptability for a wide variety of uses?
• Is the extremely low cost of maintenance and ownership?

The answer is "Yes" to all of these questions.

While all these things are true, a bicycle still needs to be designed correctly for its environment and intended use. If not, the bicycle can quickly become a temporary band-aid for the problem of mobility (and more junk for the landfill), rather than an elegant solution that is sustainable. The ways a bike gets used in Africa can be at the very extremes of wet and dry weather, and it can be loaded unimaginably full with anything and everything. It is with these thoughts in mind that we approach the design and specification of the bicycle.

A strong and oversized rear rack, a reinforced frame, incredibly strong wheels and a simple and robust single-speed drivetrain are the cornerstones of the World Bicycle Relief bike.

Most importantly, the bicycles we work with are culturally appropriate. They are based on existing designs that have been imported into developing nations for years (with existing infrastructure), and take advantage of the spare parts and knowledge that are available in the regions we serve. However, the bike is by no means considered "finished" as a design. We are constantly receiving feedback from Caregivers and Mechanics on what is working well and how it can improve. The quality of the bike is consistently being improved based on this feedback.

March 8: Solvang Century, Team World Vision ride for World Bicycle Relief, Solvang, Ca.

March 29: Ride the Ridge MTB Race,
Charlottesville, Va.

April 6: Spring Super Criterium, South
Beloit, Ill.

April 12: Charlotte Race Fest Half Marathon, Charlotte, N.C.

April 13: Sylvan Island Stampede MTB race, Moline, Ill.

April 17-20: Sea Otter Festival, Monterey, Calif.

Hosting a World Bicycle Relief event? Please let us know! 

The World Bicycle Relief team had enthusiastic volunteers throughout the show answering questions and signing up folks to receive the newsletter.