Bicyclette
by Natalie Liliane | August 13, 2010 at 8:16 PM
The goal of this project is to provide sustainable means of transportation in rural Africa. This project is funded by the Earth Institute in Colombia University.
Bicycles are very important. It means that local healthcare workers can distribute medicine and provide counselling in rural areas. It saves time for children who go to school at far distances; it increases efficiency and production in certain tasks and serves as a link between towns, farms, and markets.
It becomes more efficient to import bicycle parts from elsewhere and build the bike frame locally using bamboo instead of importing the bicycle as a whole. By building the frame out of local bamboo it reduces the cost dramatically and creates a market for the production through micro businesses. That way people can actually afford to buy it.
THE ULTIMATE GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE:
1.TO BUILD A BETTER BIKE FOR POOR AFRICANS IN RURAL AREAS.
2.TO STIMULATE A BICYCLE BUILDING INDUSTRY IN AFRICA TO SATISFY LOCAL NEEDS.
WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SOURCE THE MATERIAL AND SUPPLIES NECESSARY TO BUILD A BAMBOO CARGO BICYCLE IN AFRICA, AND TRAIN THE LOCAL PEOPLE TO BUILD THE BIKES. THE NEXT STEPS ARE:
3.TO SETUP SYSTEMATIC BAMBOO CARGO BIKE BUILDING TRAINING.
4.TO SETUP A SUPPLY CHAIN OF NECESSARY PARTS AND SUPPLIES.
5.TO SCALE THE EFFORT SO THAT IT MAKES AN IMPACT.
The link above will direct you to their website. Wicked initiative !!
Comments
GOOD IDEA!
Natalie,
This sounds like a very brilliant idea. I would like to follow this more. Keep me posted.
James Ouma
James Ouma,
Life's a Song
Sing it, dance it, live it!