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Sparing Some Pedal Power
Jesse McLean - September 8, 2008 - Ottawa
The Ottawa Citizen
Publication Link: Sparing Some Pedal Power
In the News
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September 8, 2008- Get that dusty bike out of your garage and change a stranger's life.
The area chapter of Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) is collecting used two-wheelers to ship to Namibia -- a country where 60 per cent of the population has no means of transportation apart from their feet.
"Sitting here in North America are millions of bikes that no one uses. Those could be used to get someone to work, or to help a health care worker deliver HIV medication," said Seb Oran, co-founder of the area initiative.
A more efficient means of delivering medication is something the nation needs desperately, she said. Namibia has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world, with more than 20 per cent of its citizens affected.
Ms. Oran and partner Sandra Gattola started Ottawa's B4H chapter last year, and collected about 350 bikes in a one-day drive. This year, the group hopes to collect 400 vehicles.
Ottawa residents can donate bikes daily to Lush cosmetics in the ByWard Market until Sept. 14, or to the AVIS Rent-a-Car at 938 St. Laurent Blvd. until Sept. 20.Those from Gatineau can hand in their used bikes at the B4H Warehouse at 25 Ducharme Rd. in Hull on Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. until noon.
However, the group will only accept adult and youth mountain bikes and hybrid street bikes, said Ms. Oran. The group is also accepting spare bike parts, tools, and accessories.
Several residents will be trained as bike mechanics in Namibia, at what is called the Bicycle Empowerment Centre.
For more information, go to www.bicycles-for-humanity.org/ottawa
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