Economic Growth Namibia Project #6851

Sustainable bike shop in Okalongo, Namibia

by Bicycles For Humanity - Atlanta, GA, Inc.

Project Report | Aug 7, 2012
Thank you for impacting the lives of others!

By Mary Harwell | Project Leader

Davis & Mary Harwell with Rauha Heita in Okalongo

We returned in May from our wonderful trip to visit our partners in Namibia, and have hearts filled with gratitude to each and every one of you who helped participate in making it possible. We visited the Joy Center in Otjiwarongo where 50 bikes from the Atlanta/Athens area were used to help support their community and their efforts to take care of orphaned children. We met with Lavinia and partners at DEEP --the Disability Economic Empowerment Project-- in Oshakati, where 50 more of our bikes were used to help support economic opportunities for Namibians with physical and developmental disabilities. And, lastly, we spent time in Okalongo, where we met with the lovely Meme Rauha, who is an elder in her village, a bike mechanic and humanitarian. Rauha repairs bicycles, sells and distributes them to individuals in the area. She told us of children using the bicycles to get to school, and families using the bicycles as ambulances to get to the nearest clinic, a 20 minute car ride away. Your gifts of time, finances, bicycles and spreading the word have made lasting impacts in lives and communities half way around the world. Thank you, Dankie, & Tangi Unene!

We have uploaded some photographs from the support trip, and would love to share them with you: Namibia 2012 Support/Evaluation Trip Album

And now, some more exciting news, we are moving forward with our next shipment! And thus begins the incredible journey to raise $12,000 and 400 bikes to send to communities in northern Namibia in 2013. We have created a new Global Giving page for our next project, with a goal of raising $3,000 of the total $12,000 through the help of our wonderful supporters on GlobalGiving! For those in the Athens/Atlanta, GA, USA area, we have some wonderful upcoming events that you will not want to miss, as well as loads of ways for everyone to be a part of the empowerment process! We are so excited to continue this journey with you all!

From our B4H family to yours, thank you! ~ Davis & Mary Harwell

The B4H-GA Container at its new home in Namibia

Links:

Bicycles for Humanity Georgia

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