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WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF on TODAY!
The No. 1 network morning show in the U.S., NBC's The TODAY Show, recently featured a segment about World Bicycle Relief and the impact of our healthcare project in Zambia.
Watch the World Bicycle Relief segment from The TODAY Show.
NBC Correspondent John Larson visited Zambia and World Bicycle Relief, and the blog entry of his visit is available on MSNBC.com. An update about Roderick and his family is available in the Stories section of our web site.
Though they continue to face a daily struggle to survive, Roderick and his family are fortunate to be a part of the safety net provided by our partners in Zambia, RAPIDS. World Bicycle Relief helps empower this program through bicycles, providing 15,000 to Caregivers and Disease Prevention Educators, and 8,000 to vulnerable households like Roderick's. Through the work of their volunteer Caregivers, Phinimore, and now Webster, Roderick and his family have been given a helping hand.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE by F.K. Day, President of World Bicycle Relief
AHEAD OF THE 5-YEAR PLAN
"Plans are nothing, planning is everything."
-- General Eisenhower
As our Project Zambia healthcare initiative draws to a close, I find it to be a good time for reflection. Looking back over the last 3-1/2 years, the most prominent items that stand out from our original plan is a bicycle's impact on an individual and the imperative to partner with other organizations.
Our initial concept was to collect used children's bikes from the U.S. and ship them to Tsunami-hit areas. It only took a few interactions with people in the field to toss that plan and include adults in our efforts. And then it only took one trip into the devastated areas of Sri Lanka to realize that the most efficient, impactful and cost-effective model was to source the bikes locally and partner to get them delivered to the people who needed them most. 
As we surpass 50,000 bikes delivered to date from all our programs, we continue to build and improve upon this model. Using a blend of history and planning, here is our current 5-year outlook:
Phase I: Founding model, disaster relief, January 2005 to December 2006.
Partner with local organizations to leverage and build off of local sourcing to fulfill large-scale transportation requirements with bicycles for men, women and children addressing needs in healthcare, education and economic development. Project Tsunami: 24,300 bikes with measuring and evaluation.
Phase II: Validation of Model, June 2006 through June 2010.
Implement comprehensive bicycle  programs in the three key areas of efficacy: healthcare, education and economic development. Then bring in outside experts to measure the impact of simple, sustainable transportation for recipients. We are already half way through this phase.
Phase III: Replication and Scale-Up of Model, beginning January 2008 and ongoing.
Scale up the sustainable programs in developing countries including supply chain management, training and technology transfer.
The most efficient and impactful assistance that we can bring to those trying to lift themselves off the bottom of the pyramid is to continue drive this plan. We are building a lasting economic engine; your generosity and commitment make magic happen on the ground. -- FK
FROM THE FIELD by Leah Missbach Day
'THEY BRING ME A LOT OF BICYCLES ... TO TEST ME'
 It was Mary Mwanza's youth group leadership qualities that Africare identified when selecting her for World Bicycle Relief's Field Mechanic Training Program. The youth were developing gardening skills, and Mary was very committed. She earned an income selling the vegetables and cooking oil at the market. That was six months ago.
Mary, now 22, has completed 9th grade, where she enjoyed mathematics and art most. She comes from a family of eight, and is married with two children: Betty, 5, and Joseph, six months. When asked what was her most prized possession, Mary says, "Family is what I treasure most." She was pregnant with her second child when she started her bicycle mechanic's training.
Mary says, "The bicycle program has really helped me because from some profit I am able to buy food for my family. I want the bicycle program to prosper so I can have more earning from the same program and serve the community at large."
She has many clients who come to the Village's centrally located tree to service the bicycles. When asked if she had plans to grow her business, she says she wants to do some advertising with the local radio station, so that people can get to know her because she has "good qualities, good servicing skills - very good."
 Mary tells us she enjoys the job very much because she is making money. From the training, Mary received and learned to use a cashbook where she enters the date of transaction, cash in, cash out and balance. She says, "It is the one way of knowing if really you are progressing or maybe you are making a loss."
We could not help but ask her about being a woman in a position generally held by men. She told us, "A lot of people admire my works, because in this village, it is something new for a lady to do bicycle servicing. So they get interested in that. Hence they bring a lot of bicycles to maybe prove if I can really do it. To test me." We asked her if this has been good for business. She laughed, "Very good." The most common repair people come to her with is the changing of spokes, greasing and the changing of bearings.
For fun Mary tells us she likes dancing. As we watched her put down her baby and nimbly assemble an entire bicycle in less than an hour, we completely understood.
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE by Jill Reid, VP of Development
Loyola Students Select WBR as Recipient of Civic Engagement Grant
Students from Loyola University Chicago's Introduction to International Studies class invited World Bicycle  Relief to participate in their course-based Philanthropy Project. In this class, students identify a charity and make a case for support to their fellow students, who then vote to decide on grant recipients. World Bicycle Relief was one of the organizations selected and will receive a grant of $1,090 at a ceremony in December. Thank you again to Loyola University Chicago and the students who participated in this project.
Second Quarter 2008 Fundraising Update
You, our World Bicycle Relief donors, raised just over $580,000 in the first and second quarters of 2008. Much of this funding is from individual or small group efforts. Please continue to spread the word as we near the end of our goal of distributing 23,000 bicycles to help those affected by HIV/AIDS in Zambia.
Increase the power of your donation!
Many of our donors have been taking advantage of their employer's matching gift policies. Some companies will match donations by their employees up to three times the amount of their gift. For example, if you donate one bicycle at $134, your company might match it at $134, making the total of your gift $268. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, contact your HR department or check this directory on-line.
GRASSROOTS ROUNDUP
PEDAL POWER!
 World Bicycle Relief is proud
to be working with Pedal Power Bike Shop, and bike race Team Pedal Power, in Lexington, Kentucky - next month will mark the beginning of their second year of spreading The Power of Bicycles!
Billy and Helga Yates have owned Pedal Power for 13 years, and have between 8 and 10 employees. They sponsor a successful race team, and see it as a way to give back to the community: in  addition to World Bicycle Relief, the shop and the team support Shifting Gears, a partnership with local refugee ministries that rebuild old bikes for immigrants' transportation needs in Lexington.
"During the season, my shop donates 1-2 hours per week to rebuilding bikes and 4-6 hours per week out of season, not including my and my staff's personal donation time during the week," Billy says. "I firmly believe that as a local business owner, I have a responsibility to give back to my community as a whole. While there is a business to run and responsibilities to both my family and employees' families, I also believe that there is a greater cause than just the business alone."
Billy says he sees the race team as an extension of that cause. "We could not do this community work without the team's involvement, hard work and dedication. I feel that asking our team to support World Bicycle Relief helps to maintain a positive focus on something that is much more important than a training ride or race."
The team has embarked on several successful fundraisers, including the donation of all proceeds from parking cars at local college basketball events during the winter months.  Team members keep a running tally of bicycles donated as a way to measure their success.
Billy is a firm believer in The Power of Bicycles. "No better vehicle exists that is available to access poverty-stricken areas to help with delivery of needed supplies. With our local Shifting Gear program, The refugees that have been relocated to the Lexington area have been provided with a furnished apartment, but must rely solely upon the bus and/or walking to get around. We provide a safe and functioning bicycle for them to get to work or for usage as their primary mode of transportation."
He also sees the value in partnerships. "Our neighbors in Maysville, Kentucky (WALD Corporation) have been so kind as to donate baskets to Shifting Gears, obviously making the donated bicycle much more practical for the person using it."
The shop and the team will continue to support World Bicycle Relief in the coming year, as both Shifting Gears and World Bicycle Relief mean a great deal to Billy and Helga and the race team members. We look forward to another successful year!
WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF IN THE COMMUNITY
The past few weeks have seen a number of exciting developments in the spread of The Power of Bicycles:
- Leah Missbach Day's photo "Coal Seller" was voted as the People's Choice Award winner in Roll at the Smokebrush Gallery in Colorado Springs. Congratulations Leah!
- F.K. was interviewed for a "ZIPPCast" podcast for SRAM brand ZIPP Wheels. His insightful look at the history and future of World Bicycle Relief can be found here.
- "The Power of Bicycles" video was shown at a community fair in Brighton and Hove, U.K., in September, promoting transportation alternatives.
- The Chicago 'Cross Cup cyclocross race series is selling a limited-edition t-shirt designed by Madison artist Jesse Lalonde, with proceeds going to World Bicycle Relief. More information is available on the ChiCrossCup web site.
- Wisconsin-based Team Pegasus is creating a 2009 "Ladies of Team Pegasus" calendar, which will benefit the team and World Bicycle Relief!
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!
TECH NOTES by Craig DeAmbrose, Product Manager
KEEPING IT SIMPLE: THE SINGLE-SPEED DRIVETRAIN
 One question we often we get about World Bicycle Relief bicycles is, "Why is there only one speed?" The simple answer is that it's simpler.
If you've ever taken your multi-gear bicycle to a bike shop, chances are it was because there was a problem with shifting. In places where there are very few bike shops, a simple, single-speed drivetrain on a bicycle makes the most sense. There is less wear on the chain and sprockets, no cables or cable housing to wear out and no shifter or derailleur to go out of adjustment.
In most parts of Africa the seasons don't follow the cycle of winter, spring, summer and fall that you may be used to. Instead, the year is divided into two seasons, rainy and dry, and both can be at the very extremes of those descriptions. Rain and mud for up to 6 months a year aren't the best for small moving parts made from steel. Dry and dusty has its own problems too. Small particles of dust stick easily to grease and oil, and if enough dust mixes with either, it becomes a grinding compound that can impact the life of a drivetrain.
A single-speed drivetrain offers the opportunity to use stronger and larger parts that are more resistant to the extreme wear and tear that a bicycle can be subjected to in sub-Sahara Africa. The World Bicycle Relief bicycles use a wide, heavy-duty chain, and a thick, heavy-duty sprocket in the rear and chainwheel in the front. This simple combination creates a robust, sustainable solution that keeps the bikes moving forward.
Next month, we will talk about opportunities for developing multiple-speed bicycles for use in the field.
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World Bicycle Relief Project: Zambia
You can help make Project Zambia possible!
Just $134 purchases a complete bicycle, and any donation amount will help provide The Power of Bicycles.
Contributing is easy: just follow the link at the bottom of this newsletter, for convenient credit card, check or wire transfer instructions, or visit us online at www.worldbicyclerelief.org
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Upcoming Events
Join us for these important upcoming events! Contact Chris Strout at cstrout@worldbicyclerelief.org if you are interested in volunteering.
December 1: World AIDS Day
December 3: World of Chocolate, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago
Hosting a World Bicycle Relief event? Please let us know!
The Power at Home
World Bicycle Relief once again participated in the bicycle industry's annual Interbike trade show last month in Las Vegas.
Thanks to a strong volunteer presence, The Power of Bicycles was clearly evident in the Sands Convention Center!
Stan Day and F.K. hosted a joint presentation on Thursday to a full conference room. The third-annual Power of Bicycles open discussion was a great success!
We were joined in the booth again this year by Trek/VW pro mountain biker Jeremiah Bishop, who also recruited endurance star Rebecca Rusch of Specialized/RedBull and the legendary "Tinker" Juarez!
A World Bicycle Relief bike was also on display at the booth for Pedro's, an industry supporter, in a stunning display challenging the industry to think about the bike as more than just a recreational item.
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