As we reported earlier, Tour d'Afrique has been working with a number of partners to get some used bikes to Wheels of Africa in Nairobi so they can set up a bike shop.

After a long sea voyage we are happy to report that the container with the bikes has arrived in Kenya...and more importantly, has cleared customs!



Watch this blog for further updates on the progress on this important venture.

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, Fitness Works for Women, 2171 Queen Street East, Toronto, hosted a fundraiser event to buy bikes for HIV/AIDS workers in Africa. The successful, fun filled event included great prizes such as NHL tickets - Montreal at Toronto - and Spin Master's BAKUGAN in a raffle as well as a 50/50 draw and five fitness classes. The classes, Step & Pump, Pilates, Bootcamp, Belly Dancing and Zumba, were instructed by our staff at Fitness Works for Women. 

The funds raised exceeded our expectations.  Our goal to raise enough funds for ten bikes was quickly surpassed to more than twelve bikes in a few hours on Saturday – with donations still coming in!! 100% of donations go to the purchase of bikes through the Tour d'Afrique Foundation.  Donations can be made at http://www.tourdafrique.com/what-we-do/foundation/donations

The Tour d'Afrique is a bicycle race and expedition that goes through the Continent of Africa from Cairo to Capetown.  The TDA 2012 is the tenth anniversary of the race/expedition.  Along the route, the TDA will be presenting bikes to healthcare workers at various locations.

One of our Fitness Works for Women staff members, Beverley Coburn, is riding in the upcoming 12,000 km, 94 stage tour that leaves Cairo, Egypt on January 14, 2012 and arrives in Capetown, South Africa on May 12, 2012.

Many people contributed to the Tour d'Afrique/Fitness Works for Women fundraiser event:

Velotique Limited
Informco Inc.
Spin Master Ltd
Mrs. Eleanor Coburn
Ann Gotfryd Photography
Kate Whimster, B Com, MIFHI, ND, Kew Beach Health and Wellness
Megan Webster, Webster’s Fine Books and Maps
Janice Battiste
Aysun Parker
Starbucks Coffee Company

as well as our staff:

Ariella Tsafantinos. Owner, Fitness Works for Women, Step & Pump and Pilates instructor
Eva-Mai Fortune, Manager, Fitness Works for Women
Beverley Coburn, TDA 2012 Rider - Bootcamp instructor
Taroub, Belly Dancing instructor
Janice Battiste. Zumba instructor
Judy Carr
Lynda Smart
Kristina Birkhans

and especially:

To all our Fitness Works for Women members and
To all our participants who generously donated to the raffle, 50/50 draw and the fitness classes.

Thank you ALL for making the Tour d'Afrique/Fitness Works for Women Fundraiser - Bikes for HIV/AIDS workers in Africa - such a success!

Our new Tour d’Afrique Foundation T-shirt is now available!

Designed exclusively for Tour d’Afrique by renown Toronto artist, Barbara Klunder, this beautiful and evocative tee is made by metowestyle, a socially conscious Toronto based clothing enterprise.

•    50% Organic Cotton, 50% Recycled Polyester
•    Pesticide & chemical free
•    Sweatshop free
•    Supports sustainable farming
•    1 tree planted for each tee sold
•    50% of metowestyle profits go to Free the Children
•    $10 from each tee sold goes to the TDA Foundation
•    Available in Heather Brown or Heather Green (shown below)

Look good, feel, good, do good.

The T-Shirt costs $30 CAD + $10 shipping worldwide and comes in a range of sizes.

Find out how to get yours here.

2012 Tour d'Afrique rider Beverley Coburn is trying to raise money for our Foundation. See if you can help her out!

10:15 AM - STEP & PUMP

   


Arrow Web Hospital has come a long way since it first started as a two room clinic in the slums of Nairobi in 2005. A lot has changed and unfortunately some things have not:  they were the only provider of affordable health services in Africa’s 2nd largest slum back then, and they still are today. 

A bit of History

In 2005 when Arrow Web first opened its small two room clinic they were the only provider of affordable care in Kibera, a 2.5 square km slum in Nairobi that is home to more than 250,000 people.  

In 2005 Arrow Web treated 3990 patients.  By 2010 they had moved to a 20 room hospital and treated  76,643 patients!  They also added a dental clinic, eye care clinic and pharmacy to their services.   They also began to realize that no one hospital was big enough to assist all the patients in the catchment area.  They needed an outreach program that could provide basic health care services by visiting people in their homes.



How We Got Involved:
  
In 2009 Rebecca Cherono, managing director of the Great Rift Valley Development Association, recommended we donate bicycles to Arrow Web to help support their newly created outreach program.  In 2009 we donated 15 bicycles to Arrow Web.  It was also the first time I would meet Bram Simiyu, co founder and project coordinator at Arrow Web, a man who continues to impress me with his dedication to this day.    That year Arrow Web’s outreach workers assisted 9561 people though the delivery of medicine, health education and basic health services to the people in Kibera.  In 2010 we donated 20 more bicycles to to the program and Arrow Web’s outreach volunteers increased their reach to assist 24,745 patients in their catchment area! 

Though majority of the credit goes to Bram and his team at Arrow Web,  we are very proud to be a part of their success. 



How You Can Help:

By raising funds for the Tour d’Afrique Foundation you are helping us support the efforts of organizations like Arrow Web.  But of course the hospital needs more than just bikes.  If you’d like to contribute to Arrow Web Hospital directly to support the activities of the hospital you can do so by visiting the website listed below.     

Related Links:  

Donate to the Tour d’Afrique Foundation:

Help us provide more bikes to Health Workers in Africa, visit our donation page.     

Learn More About Arrow Web Hospital:

Arrow Web Website: http://www.arrowkenya.org/index.php
Friends of Arrow Web blog: http://arrowwebhospital.blogspot.com/  

About Kebele (Arbatu Ensesa) school

Arbatu Ensesa elementary school was established in 1982. The school is located in Gondar, Ethiopia. At the moment there are 681 students at the school (336 male and 346 female). Kindergarten up to 8 grades are taught in 16 classrooms by 7 male and 17 female teachers.



TdA’s Relationship with Arbatu Ensesa

2010 rider Tony Nester first introduced us to Arbatu Ensesa School. Tony had been supporting the school for the previous 4 years through LINK Ethiopia. Tony’s donations allowed for the construction of 4 classrooms, the purchase of classroom furniture and the creation of a toilet block for girls.


Picture of students benefited from our donation together with their teachers and director.



Our relationship with the School has been facilitated by Link Ethiopia

Link Ethiopia (LE) has been responsible for improving education in Ethiopian schools for the past 15 years.  LE has been doing this by:

- providing a wide-range of resources (building classrooms, libraries, providing sanitation & clean water facilities, providing laboratory equipment, sports facilities etc) to Ethiopian schools to create conducive environments for quality education to take place;

- encouraging cultural exchange & fostering knowledge/skills & experience sharing between Ethiopian and British students & teachers by linking Ethiopian schools with British schools (we have over 100 school links);

- running a child sponsorship programme for our linked schools that helps not only the individual student but also his/her school;

-  improving English of Ethiopian students by running a volunteer teaching programme within our linked schools.  

In 2012 the Tour d’Afrique Foundation and riders on the 2012 tour will visit Arbatu Ensesa School again.  Tony has organized for the donation of 100 school uniforms and for the TdAF make a donation of bicycles to Link Ethiopia.     

Congratulations to Dan Austin of Austin Lehman Adventures (ALA) for being chosen to receive the 2011 Global Vision Award from Travel and Leisure magazine for their work on Wheels of Change, an charity started by ALA to help ship used bikes to Africa.    Magnanimous as ever here’s what Dan had to say when he won the Award at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Chiapas Mexico on October 19th:

  “This award is for everyone involved in Wheels of Change both in Montana and abroad where the tires ultimately hit the ground in Africa.  We are honored and appreciative of the recognition but our work has just begun,” notes Dan Austin, director of Austin-Lehman Adventures and founder of Wheels of Change

How I know Dan:
I first met Dan as a result of our project to open a bike shop in Nairobi with our friends at Wheels of Africa.
 
A bit of history:
WoA’s dream was to open a bike shop in the Kibera slums to serve the local community.  Prisca Oluch, director at WoA, and I worked together for months putting together a workable business plan and soliciting support from whomever we could get to listen.  

The Tour d’Afrique Foundation had committed $3000 to the project to help with the start up costs of the shop and 2010 Tour d’Afrique Rider Gerald Coniel generously contributed another $2000 from his own pocket.

This money would cover the start up costs of the shop and the cost of transporting bikes from the port n Mombasa to Nairobi.  But we still needed bikes and shipping a container of bikes to Mombasa from the US would cost another $8000.  

Getting that cost covered was critical to the shops success.  We contacted various organizations including Mike Linke at BEN Namibia who had some great advice for us and ultimately introduced us to Dan at Wheels of Change.  

How Dan Saved our Project:
Dan came to our rescue in a big way.  He quickly agreed to help and within a few months he and his team had collected 320 bikes and packed them into a container for shipping.  Wheels of Change covered all the costs of packing and shipping the bikes to the port in Mombasa.
 
A Nairobi Bike Shop to Open Soon:
As we speak the bikes are on the open ocean and due to arrive on November 29th.  Upon arrival WoA will bring them to Nairobi where they are working to build a bike shop and storage facility for the bikes.  100 bikes have already been pre-sold and demand for the others is high.  We are all very excited to see the shop open when the 2012 Tour d’Afrique reaches Nairobi.    The success of the Tour d’Afrique Foundations efforts to encourage and improve access to sustainable forms of transportation in Africa hinges on working with professional, reliable and generous partners like Wheels of Change.    Congratulations again Dan, you deserve it.  I look forward to working with you again in the future.
 
  Paul paul@tourdafrique.com           

Related Links:

Wheels of Change

Wheels of Change collects donated bicycles in the United States to be shipped overseas to Africa. They work closely and are a big supporter of BEN Namibia. 
 
BEN Namibia

BEN Namibia aims to empower disadvantaged Namibians through provision of sustainable transport and bicycle-related income generation opportunities.  

The Tour d’Afrique Foundation

For 10 year the TdAF has been donating bikes to Health Workers in Africa so they can reach more patients and deliver care more effectively.  In 2010 TdAf began supporting Wheels of Africa’s dream of opening a community bike shop in Nairobi.   

Wheels of Africa

Wheels of Africa was formed in October 2008 as an organization to champion the culture of cycling in Africa. To date we have about 30 paid-up members from all walks of life ranging from casual riders, commuter cyclists, bicycle mechanics, competitive bike riders, para-cyclists and both young and older learners, learning to cycle. Wheels of Africa’s vision is to mainstream cycling as a lifestyle and an alternative mode of transport in Africa...  

As avid cyclists I don’t have to tell you how much the sport of cycling can impact someone’s life.   If you’re like me cycling not only keeps you healthy but has helped introduce you to new friends and taken you places that has expanded you worldview.  It that very experience that Trips for Kids is trying to bring to at-risk youth in Urban areas across the US and Canada. 

The Trips for Kids chapters that the Tour d'Afrique Foundation will be supporting as part of our North American tour introduces the sport of cycling to hundreds of kids each year that otherwise would never have the opportunity.

Imagine if you had never ridden a bike.

Many are kids from low income and single parent homes and have never travelled outside their neighborhood.   They do not own bikes themselves so T4K chapters provide the bikes and some offer Earn-a-Bike programs.   Trips for Kids leaders typically take children on 20 - 30 mile mountain bike rides once a week, though some chapters host rides for kids daily.  Chapters work with kids from ages 8 to 18, and help introduce kids to local cycling clubs and to a lifetime of cycling.


 
Riders to Meet four Trips for Kids Chapters on Tour

On tour this year we will have the opportunity to meet or visit four Trips for Kids Chapters:  In San Francisco, Chicago, Ottawa and Yarmouth.

In San Francisco you'll have the opportunity to have lunch with TFK founder and all around inspiration Marilyn Price.  Marilyn started TFK in 1988 with one chapter and now there are 79 chapters across the US, Canada and Israel. 

In Chicago we'll get to meet Bernie Rupe, who runs the Chicago Voyagers program.  Bernie and a few of the kids he works with will meet us on route on the way into Chicago and cook us a hot lunch!  A few of the kids may also join us for the last 10 or 15 kms into town. 

In Ottawa we will get to meet Cat Weaver.   Cat has been taking kids on bike trips for the last 3 years and her group has just recently become an official T4K chapter.

Of all the chapters I visited hers was the most inspirational.  Her passion for the program and the stories she tells about how something as simple as a bike ride has changed kids lives are really moving. 

The last chapter we will visit on tour is TFK Yarmouth run by Jack Harding.  Yarmouth is not on the route of the tour but Jack will meet us at the Ferry in Darby and ride with us for a day or two. 

The Tour d'Afrique Foundation will be donating bikes to four Trips for Kids chapters on this years tour and we ask that you consider helping us to donate even more bikes by donating to the Tour d’Afrique Foundation.   100% of your contributions will go to Trips for Kids. 

You can make a donation here. 

Thanks!

As many of you know, over the last 6 months we've been working with Nairobi-based charity Wheels of Africa to open a community bike shop in Soweto, Nairobi.  We've partnered with the Montana Chapter of Bicycles for Humanity, who have collected and packed 350 bikes for us in a 40 foot shipping container that now sits on their property in Billings, Montana. 



Wheels of Africa has identified a shop space, acquired all the necessary tools and equipment and have been promoting the shop.  The response has been very positive and they have even started receiving orders for bikes! 

We’ve worked with WoA for years and we're very confident that this shop will succeed and be of great benefit to the community.   But we’ve run into a small roadblock and we need your help to overcome it. 

We need to raise additional funds to cover the cost of shipping the bikes to Nairobi.  Originally Bicycles for Humanity had agreed to cover the shipping costs but an increase in shipping rates coupled with some unforeseen circumstances and expenses have raised the cost of shipping enough so that they can not cover the entire expense.  The Tour d'Afrique Foundation has already contributed a significant amount of money to the project already and cannot contribute more without affecting the other causes we support. 

As the sun dropped into a late afternoon sky and sparkled across the Zambezi River just a few kilometres upstream from the mighty Victoria Falls, Graham Nel and his team at the spectacular Zambezi Waterfront arranged the finishing touches for the TDA Foundation bike donation in Zambia.



TDA riders were treated to a vibrant drumming, dancing and singing performance by the Jolly Boys (and beautiful women!) of Livingstone who set the scene and ambiance for what was arguably one of the most magical bike donation ceremonies we’ve had.



Gracing the occasion was Mr. Chika, the Livingstone District Commissioner as well as Dr Hara and Dr Chipandwe from the Ministry of Health, who oversee all clinics and related community outreach programmes for the district.



With the assistance of the Zambezi Waterfront, THAF and African Impact were identified as a partnership who could make excellent use of bicycles in 8 home based care  programmes located in Libuyu, Maramba, Linda, Nakatindi, Dambwa, Natebe and Mwandi.  Rachael Wood, Laura Goble and Lucy Pollock told us a bit about the work they do.

“African Impact was instrumental in the establishment of the Happy Africa Foundation (THAF) and provides much of the charity’s resources, in terms of staff, logistical support and its administration at all of its projects. The charity looks to find sustainable solutions to the challenges that local African communities face. THAF and African Impact partner with local communities to conserve and protect the environment, wildlife and cultures in areas where the Foundation is involved.  



Home based carers work within local communities surrounding Livingstone, visiting sick patients in their home. In many instances these patients cannot get to a clinic and the palliative care, advice and support volunteer care workers provide is greatly appreciated. African Impact volunteers accompany carers on some of these visits, to provide further support and basic medical provisions to patients. The home based carers will be able to use these 16 bikes to enable them to visit more patients each day and more easily get around their local communities to conduct patient visits.”

In his welcoming speech, District Commission, Mr. Chika said “This donation could not have come at a better time than now when the entire globe is faced with all sorts of calamities and civil strife.  Allow me ladies and gentlemen to pay special tribute to Mr. Henry Gold, Managing Director and founder of Tour d’Afrique for choosing Zambia and Livingstone in particular to receive such a valuable donation, of which we can’t assess its value because of its multiplier effect to the people of Livingstone.”  



Christine from Maramba home based care and Mr. Simasiko from Libuyu home based care accepted the bikes on behalf of their colleagues.


The ceremony concluded with a lucky draw for TDA riders who had raised money for the TDA Foundation. Facilitated by the fabulous Sarah of the Waterfront, prizes ranged from helicopter rides to bungi jumps, from river cruises to lion and elephant encounters.

An awesome time was had by all at this very special place.

From all of us at the TDA Foundation, thank you…

Mr. Chika, Dr Hara and Dr Chipandwe - for gracing the occasion.

Rachel, Laura and Lucy from African Impact and THAF - for facilitating the distribution of bicycles to the home based carers - and to home based carers Christine and Mr. Simasiko who received the bikes on behalf of their colleagues.

Bhukans - for supplying the bicycles at an excellent price.

Maureen Saileti and Elias Sakala from SAB Miller - for sponsoring the beer and soft drinks.

Graham Nel, Sarah and team at the Zambezi Waterfront - not only for hosting and facilitating the bike donation, but also for arranging tje amazing prizes from various activity service providers in Livingstone. Thanks go to Safari Par Excellence, Livingstone’s Adventures, Zambezi Adrenaline Company, Lady Livingstone, Abseil Zambia, Lion Encounter and the Crocodile Farm.

Tour d’Afrique riders - who invested so much time and energy in raising the funds to make this donation possible.



A note of thanks from African Impact...

Hi Theresa, Graham and Sarah,
 
Hope you are all well?

We hope all your cyclists had a great weekend and some relaxing down time in Livingstone!

On behalf of African Impact and The Happy Africa Foundation, we just wanted to say thank you again for the kind donation of bicycles from Tour d’Afrique; I’m certain these will be very gratefully accepted by the community home based carers and assist them greatly in visiting sick people in their homes.

Lucy and I will be putting together some guidelines for each committee in terms of using their bikes, as the District Commissioner mentioned in his speech, it is important that the bikes are stored safely and looked after to ensure their long-lasting impact in assisting the communities of Livingstone.

We’ll send you some pictures when we do formally hand these over to the committees.

Graham and Sarah, thank you for all your hard work in preparing for and hosting the event! The Waterfront is a fantastic setting.

Have a great week all!
Best wishes,
Laura
Laura Goble
African Impact - Livingstone
Project Manager/Volunteer Coordinator
Website: www.africanimpact.com