David Tucker from Rotary Crawley spoke to a combined meeting of Rotary clubs Osborne Park and Western Endeavour on Tuesday 1 October about Bicycles for Humanity WA and their project Recycled Bicycles for South Africa.
Bicycles for Humanity WA was established in 2011 is a registered charity and 100% volunteer organisation. Its headquarters are in Midvale supported by regional workshops run by Rotary clubs in Geraldton and Esperance and the Claremont Showgrounds Men's Shed. The B4HWA chapter was established in 2011 to address the fundamental barriers to development and healthcare in rural Africa. To date, they have delivered 19 containers filled with over 6,900 bikes to small communities in Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Malawi and 1500 to remote community schools, PCYCs, and community groups in WA and NT.
Bicycles in Africa change lives. They allow people to travel twice as far, twice as fast and carry four times the load. They also provided sustainable transport to work and school, health care workers and supplies, and for food and water.
Community Bicycle Resource Centres (CBRC) are set up in Africa to support the local community once the bicycles are received. The CBRCs improve lives in the local community by providing income from sales and servicing bicycles. Profits are invested in community projects, usually through local health and/or education NGOs. CBRCs become a sustainable, self-funding project to provide opportunity and positive change.
The Recycled Bikes to South Africa, 'transforming lives one bicycle at a time', is a combined project of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, USA, and Rotary Club of Empangeni and they have a vision, with local community leaders to establish 12 community bicycle resource centres in South Africa. They are seeking partners to raise funds and find used bicycles.
Rotary in Western Australia along with Bicycles for Humanity WA sees the opportunity make this project global, initially out of Perth and then extending to Melbourne and the Rotary Club of Malvern. With Rotary's help, Bicycles for Humanity WA can supply at least,1350 bicycles in 3 containers over the next 1- 3 years. To do this, they need $15,000 (either 3 clubs at $5,000 or 15 clubs at $1,000) per container which includes the cost of the container, transport of ~450 bikes plus tools and spares FOB to Durban. Local clubs Heirisson, Dalkeith, Subiaco and Crawley have already undertaken to support the project.
Rotary Bikes for South Africa is off to a flying start with:
- Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) Calgary shipping the first Bikes for South Africa container in late 2023,
- B4H Souther Highlands, NSW shipping a container in May 2024 and B4H Melbourne has one ready to go.
- B4H WA shipped a container in late July sponsored by RC of Dalkeith, Heirisson and Crawley, and Oldendorf Carriers,
- RC of Carroll Creek is in discussion with several B4H chapters in the US
Outcomes to Date - Rotary Bikes for South Africa
- 3 Community Bike Resource Centres established in Ladysmith, KZN, Kimberley and Ingwavuma
- 4th container shipped from Perth in July
Endorsement received via RC of Chatsworth "Thank you - these bicycles are changing mindsets here in SA and the fact that students are now getting to school on their own steam and also, creating jobs for some people who undertake to repair some units."
How clubs can help
- The first of 3 containers has been sent and delivered with support from RC of Heirisson, Dalkeith, Subiaco and Crawley and Oldendorf Carriers,
- The second container is partly funded by support from RC of Subiaco,
- Support is sought from other clubs to complete the project, OR
- Encourage Rotarians across WA to support Ebikers 2024 - E-venture ride to Esperance which departs from Fremantle on October 12th. Donate here