Simply put – unused bicycles in garages or basements can make an incredible difference to those in need of transportation to receive or provide healthcare, to get to work, or to attend school. Such bicycles represent a terrific opportunity to change the lives of those less fortunate.
B4H OTTAWA
Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) is a grass-roots initiative that empowers disadvantaged communities in Africa through the provision of sustainable transportation.
We send gently used bikes to help improve access to healthcare, education, food, water, employment and social opportunities.
B4H is entirely volunteer run – 100% of donations go toward the transportation and in-country project implementation costs of Bicycle Empowerment Centers (BECs).
A bicycle, one of the simplest transport technologies, is affordable and can be maintained anywhere in the world with minimal tools and spare parts. Yet for the world's poorest people, living on $1 per day, even bicycles are beyond their reach. Meanwhile, in the western world we discard thousands of bicycles each year.
The B4H Ottawa Chapter was founded in the spring of 2007 by two friends, Seb Oran and Sandra Gattola, who share a deep desire to make a difference in the developing world.
To date, 5 containers (BECs) - almost 2000 bikes, thousands of spare parts and associated goods, have been shipped to communities in Africa.
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About Us
Story of a Global Movement
Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) was founded in 2005 in Whistler, BC by Pat Montani. It all started out by sending one container to Namibia to support the work of Michael Linke and the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN Namibia).
B4H Ottawa was the second chapter to contribute to the initiative. A few years later, there are many chapters around the world, all autonomous yet networked within the B4H movement. Because of the effort of these self-started groups and their communities of supporters, there are dozens of BEC’s in Africa all serving to improve thousands of people’s lives.
B4H has no staff, no budget, has never spent a cent of donated funds on overhead of any type and it never will. It continues to grow globally and many individuals, organizations, corporations and groups collecting bikes continue to join the Bicycles for Humanity movement.
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•We support groups based in Africa who recognize the power of mobility and the role that bicycles can play.
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•We foster groups that want to support their communities, with honesty, accountability and entrepreneurial spirit.
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•We tell their story to everyone in the developed world and engage all who want to make a difference.
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•We are entrepreneurially-driven with every individual, group and organization doing it the way they feel best, in relationships that work for all.
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We have one focus: mobility through the use of a bike
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We have one objective: to help the people of Africa help themselves
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And we believe that all of us working together can make a difference
Seb & Sandra
Volunteers in front of 1st container, loaded and ready to send to Namibia
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