Hi Leet, Maybe you can contact Marnie Heim-Stafford at Voluntours, they're involved in the project below. I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago and they would be happy for any help. Her details: info@voluntours.co.za +27 (0)11 315-4049 +27 (0)11 315-4050 http://www.voluntours.co.za http://www.voluntours.co.za/volunteering/south-africa-humanitarian/34-south-africa/34-bicycle-volunteer-project BICYCLE VOLUNTEER PROJECT This Project is the winner of the following Responsible Tourism Awards: 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards Highly Commended - Best Volunteer Organisation 2007 Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism Joint Winner - Chairman's Award Highly Commended - Best Practice: Economic Impact Finalist - best Social Involvement Programme -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share your love for bicycles, related sporting activities and small business skills by volunteering with the youth in an impoverished semi-rural community in South Africa that gives you as the volunteer a unique sense of community. The Bokamoso* Bicycle Volunteer Project was started when Nigel, a previous volunteer, realised that low cost second-hand bicycles would benefit the community as local people were loosing a lot of time in their day walking ... walking to town, walking to school, walking to work and walking to the shops. YOU can provide assistance by getting involved in this environment friendly project and help reduce local carbon emissions. The local shop received its first container of bicycles, from the UK, thanks to the generous donations of previous volunteers. This has enabled us to provide affordable bicycle and other services to the greater community. The bicycle project now provides important infra-structural, retail, small business and recreational support to the local rural communities. With the help of previous volunteers the youth are now able to build and sell load carrying bicycle-trailers and have built a bicycle ambulance as well! Our volunteers have added a cycle track that has resulted in the popularising of cycling in a soccer-mad community. This has provided an outlet to the community and keeps the youth off the streets and on "track". Local talent is being found and cyclists are for the first time able to enter organised races. Young girls are also now seeing the benefit that bicycles can bring to the community. The project has evolved into a sustainable tourism component as well by offering guided cycle tours in the greater community. The closest "town" of Klipgat is about a 40-minute walk, as most taxis do not service the area due to the poor roads. While Mabopane, the closest city and the main shopping area, is about a 3 hours walk or a 40 minutes taxi ride, and this comes at a prohibitive cost to many. The impact that the bicycle project has already had in the greater community is huge. Old bikes are suddenly being repaired as spares can now be bought locally. Second-hand bikes can be purchased at prices well below normal retail prices. Local entrepreneurs are able to run small businesses by using a bicycle to deliver goods locally with the support of a cost effective bike-trailer that is manufactured locally! Children are riding bikes school and playing with their bikes in the afternoons. Bike repair skills are being provided to the community and people are being employed. Whether you are an avid cyclist, a bicycle enthusiast or a week-end rider YOU can get involved, the opportunity are open-ended! Let us know how you can get involved! This is our most popular volunteer project because volunteers want to meet, live with and share their time with people on the ground in South Africa. You can stay either in the community in one of the local homes or be accommodated in a traditional Ndebele village in their Lodge - the choice is yours! During your stay you will come to terms with much of the hardships and realities of rural life in South Africa. It may take a while coming from an urbanised city to get used to the way of life and realities on the ground, however, the riches you gather are well worth it. This rural community has been historically marginalised, as it fell under the "independent homeland" of Bophutatswana under the old Apartheid regime. The lack of infrastructure and economic development are still evident to this day even under the new South Africa as rural development takes a back seat to urbanisation and upgrading of major townships like Soweto. Mapoch Ndebele Village also finds itself in the same marginalised position as the Ndebele were forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act of the Apartheid government to their present site.
