It contributed to the emancipation of women in the late 19th Century. Now, the humble bicycle (once dubbed "the freedom machine" by suffragists) is increasing independence, opportunity and freedom to poor people in parts of Africa.
Close to 1,600 bikes were shipped to Namibia last year, thanks to a homegrown organization called Bicycles for Humanity, started by Kelowna resident Pat Montani and his wife, Brenda.
This spring, they're planning their second shipment – and supporting other groups around the world who want to follow suit.
Montani came up with the idea after delivering a truckload of bicycles to Mexico, as part of a church project. An avid cyclist, who has toured much of Europe and America by means of peddle power, the successful businessman started thinking about where else in the world would benefit from bicycles.
After doing some research, he discovered that healthcare workers in Africa could do two or three times more work on two wheels than they do on foot, delivering medicine and education to various villages to help AIDS and malaria victims. People can use them to get to work or school, which might otherwise be too far away to walk. Women can transport goods to and from the market, increasing independence and enterprising opportunities.
"The need for bikes is huge," Montani reported.
Last spring the call went out in Kelowna for bicycles to send, in a container, to Namibia. The response was so overwhelming that four containers were ultimately sent, with bicycles coming from all over the Okanagan, Kamloops, Merritt, Vancouver and Thunder Bay, Ont.
This year, groups in Washington State, England, Australia, and Norway plan to participate, sending their own containers under the Bicycles for Humanity banner.
"I've had to wonder, why didn't anybody else think of this before?" Montani questioned. "Everyone walks in Africa. Bikes do get into Ghana, but for the bulk of Africa, no one really thought of it."
It's an ambitious endeavour, not just collecting so many bikes, but raising the money to pay for the container and shipment. Each container, which holds about 430 bikes (plus donations of sports equipment and uniforms, textbooks and other extras), costs $2,000, and shipping is about $6,000.
So far, though, the response has been good.
"I think people like that they're directly helping someone else," Montani said. "It's a grassroots initiative. There's no staff, zero overhead, and there will always be zero overhead. People in Canada want to help out, want to do good and care. This is a way that's easy and accountable."
Kelowna artist and calligrapher Liz Woodside donated a painting to help with the fundraising. "Humanity," as she called it, has since been turned into prints and cards, for sale to raise money to help pay for containers and shipping costs. She also volunteered to help with the first bicycle collection, last summer.
"The attraction for me was how much it could empower people, and it's really just recycling – taking the excess of the Western World and helping to redistribute it," she said.
Agostino and Julie Masi, who own Agostino's Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar, downtown, also got on board to help organize and fundraise for the project. Last year, they held a fundraising dinner and a Humanity Rocks benefit concert, with a line-up of musical artists performing to raise money to help cover expenses.
This year, they're planning another, bigger concert, probably in an outdoors venue. No dates have been announced yet, but they're aiming for July or August.
Julie, a veteran musician who was formerly a member of the band The Parachute Club, wrote and recorded the theme song, "Humanity Rocks." Like the prints and cards of Woodside's painting, singles of the song are available at www.bicycles-for-humanity.org.
"I got involved because I just felt this calling to help people there. Their situation is so desperate there. Some don't even have a way to get water, which is so necessary. This is a simple way to help them," she said.
"For Africa it's their everything – transport for water, food, medicine, to do chores. Here, bicycles are for leisure. People have gotten brand new bikes they've never used, sitting in their garage for years."
"I thought it was very genuine, very real – helping the people direct," Agostino added. "You're not sending money and you don't know where it goes. People can use it right away. Doctors and nurses go to villages and help people. People here say, this is silly – I don't need this bike. It can go to a good use."
While no date has been fixed yet for the next collection, Montani is hoping to start accepting bicycle donations in June, to be shipped out in September. This year, he's predicting the need for some 10 containers, sent to Africa from all parts of the world, not just from Kelowna.
"The story isn't just the bike," he stressed. "It's an important piece, but the story is how people step up in a hundred ways. Everyone can do something here and at the end of the day, everyone feels good."
