Bikes Not Bombs: A Simple Solution, A Profound Impact
Posted by Charity Watcher on Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Bikes Not Bombs, a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, has two apparently simple propositions. First, it recycles donated bicycles and sends these refurbished bikes to countries like Ghana, El Salvador, and Northern Uganda, among others. Second, it trains young people to fix their own bicycles and, thus, provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to earn a viable living as mechanics.
Yet Bikes Not Bombs has a profound impact on the individuals and communities that they serve – truly, proof that simple solutions can be effective against big issues.
Established by Michael Replogle, a transportation planner, and Carl Kurz, a bicycle mechanic in 1984, the organization first sent bicycles and bicycle parts to then-beleaguered Nicaragua. The United States supported the Contra War and imposed a trade embargo - and the pair expressed their political opposition by providing the Nicaraguans with the bicycles.
Nowadays, Bikes Not Bombs sends thousands of bicycles and bicycle parts to several countries – 14 as of the last count – in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean. These items are also sent to local organizations involved in building pedal-powered machinery used by indigenous people. These machinery include concrete vibrators, grain mills, and water pumps, among others, all of which require no electricity to operate.
Bikes Not Bombs also provides training sessions for empowering young men and women in two areas, namely, bicycle mechanics and bicycle safety. The programs in this regard include Girls in Action and Earn-a-Bike, among other youth-oriented programs, as well as a Bike-A-Thon. The bikes used in these programs are usually the donated bikes that were not shipped abroad.
The non-profit organization also has a bike shop where brand-new and second-hand bicycles as well as accessories and parts are sold. The bike shop also offers repair services. The profits earned from the products and services are then used to fund Bike Not Bombs’ international and youth programs.
Yet Bikes Not Bombs has a profound impact on the individuals and communities that they serve – truly, proof that simple solutions can be effective against big issues.
Established by Michael Replogle, a transportation planner, and Carl Kurz, a bicycle mechanic in 1984, the organization first sent bicycles and bicycle parts to then-beleaguered Nicaragua. The United States supported the Contra War and imposed a trade embargo - and the pair expressed their political opposition by providing the Nicaraguans with the bicycles.
Nowadays, Bikes Not Bombs sends thousands of bicycles and bicycle parts to several countries – 14 as of the last count – in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean. These items are also sent to local organizations involved in building pedal-powered machinery used by indigenous people. These machinery include concrete vibrators, grain mills, and water pumps, among others, all of which require no electricity to operate.
Bikes Not Bombs also provides training sessions for empowering young men and women in two areas, namely, bicycle mechanics and bicycle safety. The programs in this regard include Girls in Action and Earn-a-Bike, among other youth-oriented programs, as well as a Bike-A-Thon. The bikes used in these programs are usually the donated bikes that were not shipped abroad.
The non-profit organization also has a bike shop where brand-new and second-hand bicycles as well as accessories and parts are sold. The bike shop also offers repair services. The profits earned from the products and services are then used to fund Bike Not Bombs’ international and youth programs.
