We have worked closely with our supplier base to keep the increase as low as possible while still maintaining the level of quality, robustness and performance that our program demands. All-in, the new cost of a bike - fully assembled and delivered into the field - is $134.00 a 23% increase. This price also includes a portion designated for the Field Mechanics Maintenance and Training program, independent Measuring and Evaluation and field management.

As always, we will strive to manage costs where possible without compromising on our commitment to quality. We thank our suppliers for working closely with us to mitigate these cost increases, and in giving us early warning of this inevitability.

To you, our donors: We will continue working to maximize the impact of each of your dollars contributed to World Bicycle Relief. This price increase is unfortunate, but our supplier base is committed, and the programs are strengthening every day. The Power of Bicycles is empowering people in a way that is sustainable and scalable, and will have a lasting impact on their lives.

Thank you,
FK


FROM THE FIELD  by Katendi Mangangu, as told to Leah Missbach Day
'WE NEED TO DO GOOD THINGS'
Katendi Mangangu understands first-hand the loss of family members due to HIV/AIDS. A single mother of three children, Katendi has lost her husband, father and sister. Katendi tells me the best way for her to deal with this is by facing it every day. 

She is a volunteer Caregiver whose primary effort is focused on testing people for HIV at the Mwinilunga District Hospital in Zambia. With her winning smile and soft, low voice, Katendi makes it her personal business to encourage everyone she knows to be tested. She believes she is the best person to do both the testing and counsel her patient as to how to handle the results. She is trained to teach people their medication protocols as well as help families protect themselves from issues like depression when someone is found positive. 

Katendi also teaches HIV/AIDS prevention to youth. "I teach them that they should know how to keep themselves, and I even encourage them respect is there, and prevention for HIV and AIDS is there. When you grow up, ooh, don't do this, don't do bad things, we need to do good things."

As her children, Elvis (ten), Nora (six) and Ernest (two and a half), are on the cusp of puberty, Katendi councils her youth as if she were talking to her own, "I do advise them bad groups are not good. I usually tell them that since they are orphans, next it will be me. I say, you might find me if I am dead. So, you need to choose one thing, which can assist your children all of their life."

"They know that they choose, sometimes, like a girl, she asks me how he's dead. You explain to her and she says, yeah, so it's good for me to have good manners, that I'll stay longer." Thankfully, Katendi and her children are all negative. 

When not testing or counseling patients, Katendi makes rounds bringing hope to patients in the hospital.


DEVELOPMENT UPDATE  by Jill Reid, VP of Development
SUPPORTERS RAISE $2,615 THROUGH
ARTS AND MUSIC EVENTS
In June, World Bicycle Relief supporters organized two events brimming with creative vibes. Proof again that you don't have to be a bicycle fanatic to support World Bicycle Relief.

The first event was on June 7, at the home and studio of Lee Tracy, a Chicago artist and visionary t-shirt entrepreneur. Proceeds from the event titled, "Turn it Around" went to both World Bicycle Relief and The Voices and Faces Project, a national survivor network created to give voice and face to survivors of sexual violence. Over 150 people mingled, listened to local musician Martha Berner, bid on auction items and had a great time. Special thanks to our volunteers who participated.

The second was a music-themed event in Evanston, Illinois, hosted by a local classical pianist. It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon where people attended to hear music and a brief presentation about World Bicycle Relief. Though this event was smaller than the first, enough money was raised to purchase ten bicycles! 


GRASSROOTS ROUNDUP
GRASSROOTS EMPOWERMENT KIT PUBLISHED
"What can I do to help?" is a question we get often at World Bicycle Relief. You, our supporters, are eager to make a difference, and bring your talents to bear on spreading The Power of Bicycles.

To help answer that question, and provide more information for those of you looking to help, we have created the Grassroots Empowerment Kit, now available on our web site.

The Kit is easy to download and provides tips and information about volunteering and creating fundraisers in your community. We have also published an Empowerment Resources guide that includes handouts and other materials you can use to create a successful World Bicycle Relief event.

This is a way for everyone to get involved - start spreading The Power today!

It's easy to get involved as a Team World Bicycle Relief member. Volunteer opportunities are available in the Upcoming Events listing to the right, or visit the web site and download the Grassroots Empowerment Kit to learn how you can work within your own community. Get started today!


BISHOP WINS DUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 
Team Trek/VW professional mountain biker - and friend of World Bicycle Relief - Jeremiah Bishop accomplished an amazing feat this July, winning not one but two National Championships! Incredibly, he pulled it off in events that were almost the complete opposite of each other, requiring two very different skill sets.

First up was the 50-mile National Marathon Championships, held appropriately on July 4, in Breckenridge, Colorado. JB overcame a horrible run of luck, struggling with a broken chain, broken spokes and a broken rear derailleur - he had to fix it all himself as best he could - to catch back up to the leaders and pass them. It was his first professional National Championship win, and he earned the Stars and Stripes jersey for his efforts.

Then on July 20, Jeremiah earned his second jersey! This time, it was an event called "short track," a race that has riders pushing as hard as they can for 25 minutes. (The marathon, by contrast, took nearly 4 hours!) In a tactical battle that saw JB take the "hole shot" to lead the race at the start, he managed to hold off the best short trackers in the country to take the win by just 8 seconds.

Jeremiah volunteered for World Bicycle Relief at last year's Interbike trade show, and he and his Trek/VW team are active supporters of our programs. Join us in saying congratulations to Jeremiah and good luck in the rest of the season!   


TECH NOTES  by Craig DeAmbrose, Product Manager
WHAT MAKES A 'CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE' PROGRAM AND BICYCLE? 
First steps in our work: Respect cultural differences, build sustainable and scaleable programs, and understand that most answers reside in the field.

A "culturally appropriate" program starts with the respect and acknowledgment of the differences in local cultures. But it also goes a step further, to see that the end-user requirements for equipment are also different, as are the spare parts. These steps bring us to the evolution of our program and the heavy-duty bikes we use in the field.

We spend time talking with end-users about what works and doesn't work and what they like and don't like about existing bicycles currently available. We look at the history, we look at the supply chain, and we look at the ways that the bikes are used.

Example: In our Zambian health care initiative, 75% of the recipients are women, and 80% of the women choose a "men's" style frame even though a "woman's" style would be safer with traditional clothing. Part of the reason for this choice, is to carry a child between their arms on the cross bar - not something we see in our Western culture.

Only after understanding the usage in a cultural context are we able to move our programs and equipment forward. There is a sensitive practical and social balance involved with implementing new technologies and styles. Both must meet end-users' needs while being sustainable in the field, along with not creating a disparate social strata of "them" and "us." We stay closely connected to the market so that constant understanding and improvement can occur.

Bicycles turbocharge productivity by providing mobility. World Bicycle Relief strives to work in the most culturally appropriate way possible, and we are driven to always learn.