Whistler to Tsumeb, Namibia 2007

Report of Bicycle Empowerment Container (BEC) in Tsumeb, Namibia

Our team from Whistler, BC, Canada had the privilege of visiting the lovely town of Tsumeb, in Northern Namibia. We were hosted by TOV, a locally run organization set up to care for the orphaned and poor children of their area.

Less than a year ago, TOV were the recipients of a BEC from British Columbia. The first day we spent in Tsumeb, the TOV staff provided us with bikes to use for the duration of our stay. They took us on a riding tour of the town.

Tsumeb has a “slum/ghetto” area called Soweto. This area consists of a lot of shacks made of wood, pieces of fabric, and corrugated tin walls and roofs. The homes are filled to capacity with family members and are jammed very closely together. There are only a couple of central toilets, which are very dirty and must be used by hundreds of people. Just outside of this area is the container that carried the bikes. This, along with a smaller container, is the bike shop.

The bike shop is a vital part of the workings of TOV. Initially, upon arrival, some of the bikes were given to needy recipients. Some were health care workers who needed transportation to care for some of their patients. Some were also given to kids who, without transportation, couldn’t attend school.

When the container arrived, four local guys were trained to be bike mechanics. Upon completion of their training, two of these guys (Amon and Mathias) were hired to work full time at the bike shop. The money earned from the sale of some of the bikes, and repair of bikes, is used by TOV to run the feeding program, pay the school fees for some of the kids, and to pay the small salaries of the bike mechanics and the bike manager (AnnaLisa).

Some of the proceeds are also being invested in the bank for further projects TOV will do. TOV is getting a farm started so that they can grow produce, raise pigs, sheep, goats and chickens. This will help them become independent, to be able to care for their community. This is also what the bikes do for them.

That container of bikes has been a huge stepping stone for TOV and for Tsumeb. They will continue to work towards feeding their community. It has been an investment in their journey towards being sustainable. It has empowered them and hasn’t made them dependent, but independent. Hoorah!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!! YOU WOULD LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!