CU students are helping to make Namibia and Zambia more bike-friendly in their “Business Solutions for the Developing World” class by working with Bicycles for Humanity.
Colorado based Bicycles for Humanity sends shipments of used bicycles to Africa. The organization then works with local partners that train Namibia and Zambia natives to repair and sell the bicycles.
Joshua Pace, one of the three founders of the organization and a self-described avid biker, helped start the non-profit that sent its first shipment in 2008. Pace saw bicycles as a way to bridge the distance between the medical clinics and the rural villages.
“Imagine how many more people you could see if you had a bike as opposed to being on foot,” Pace said. “The difference is profound.”
Bicycles in front of Farrand Hall during the first big snow of the year in late October. (CU Independent file/James Bradbury)
Deborah Krause, a 21-year-old senior business finance major, chose to work with the non-profit because of the organizations techniques of teaching those in need a skill, as opposed to sending them supplies that will eventually run out.
“It empowers the workers, many of whom the bike shop is their first paid job, to learn business skills, and pass these skills to other generations,” Krause said. “The bike shops provide funds for partner non-profit organizations already established in the area. Bicycles for Humanity is different because it provides life changing possibilities for the whole community.”
Krause has been working with a group of students in her class to create a bike drive manual to distribute to high schools. The group plans to meet with high schools to encourage students to run bike drops, where people are able to donate their used bikes to Bicycles for Humanity.
Daniela Warman, a 23-year-old senior business administration management major, is working alongside Krause and two other students with creating what she calls, the bike-drive-in-a-box manual.
“The organization offers you an opportunity to get involved and make a change in someone’s life,” Warman said. “It’s a great learning experience to volunteer or intern with Bicycles for Humanity, but also to learn how your efforts help someone in need receive medicines that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Bicycles for Humanity is a 100 percent non-profit organization, with all of the proceeds going directly to the organization’s cause. The organization has seen that healthcare workers can visit up to four times as many patients when they have a bike and girls are 70 percent more likely to attend school if their family owns a bike. Biking reduces travel time by up to two-thirds.
Pace said urges those with unwanted bikes to donate them to Bicycles for Humanity. Boulder bike drop off locations include University Bikes, The Sports Garage, and Full Cycle.
“We work in acutely remote villages where the only other transport is walking,” Krause said. “After the bikes have shown up, it’s transformational for these small villages. Villagers are able to travel further for economic opportunities, school and go between medical centers.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Mahala Proch at Mahala.proch@colorado.edu.
