Building Bicycles
OH MY GOODNESS. Hello, hello! Today we had an exciting day. We spent the day at World Bicycle Relief (WBR), splitting up into 9 groups and building 2 bicycles each for a total of 18 bicycles that will be donated to the community. Who would have thought that a bicycle, something that I take for granted back home, could make such a difference in the lives of Zambians? I never imagined building a bike could be so hard and I gained a new-found respect for not only the people who build them but the whole program itself. One of the more impressive parts was the amount of thought WBR puts into the design of these bikes, otherwise known as 60 lb workhorses, because of how sturdy and durable they are. The staff that helped us build the bikes was amazing – they showed such care and knowledge and clearly understand the importance of what they are doing for the community.
After building the bikes, we got to ride them around and, oh my goodness! These bikes are not the 10 speed bikes we have in the U.S. These are heavy bikes that come in a one-size-fits-all with no gear shifts or hand brakes because that type of equipment tends to break down too easily. These bikes are being made for the long haul and last 5 to 6 times longer than the average bike here in Zambia. We got to give each other rides around the compound which proved more challenging to some of us (ie, the smaller ones) than others.
Traditional dancing
But, we all had a good laugh and came together at the end of the day to celebrate a hard day’s work at the house of the WBR Director here in Zambia with a night full of dinner and DANCING. The entertainment for the evening was a group of African dancers who performed dances from all across Zambia. It was truly amazing. At one point, they grabbed Rachel and Andrew, two of the students, and brought them up to dance. They did a great job in the spotlight, imitating the dance moves as best as they could. It provided us all with some more laughs for sure before we were all pulled up to practice some African dance moves of our own.
The crew after building 18 bicycles
WBR has always donated its bicycles to healthcare workers in their struggle to combat HIV/AIDS but they have recently hit their goal of distributing 26,000 bicycles over the past four years. So, tomorrow, we will truly be part of history as WBR launches its first program with the Ministry of Education – we will witness a distribution ceremony in which WBR will give the first 60 bicycles to teachers and students to help them overcome the distance that separates them from their schools. Some children and teachers have to walk to a school that can easily be 4-5 miles away. They don’t get to rely on buses or cars like we do at home. The fact that their schooling is worth a 2 to 2.5 hour walk each day made me re-evaluate my own education and what I would be willing to sacrifice for it. It is amazing the things we have learned here so far, about Zambia as well as ourselves, in just 4 days.
Natalie (and Gaby Grebski), a student (and teacher) at Sidwell Friends School
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