Click to watch a 12 minute video about this new partnership to provide bikes to community health workers in Northern Uganda.

David Branigan, International Programs Director, visited Ability Bikes in Koforidua, Ghana for two weeks in January to assess the project and provide technical assistance. David is pleased to report that over the past year, since his last visit, Ability Bikes has greatly progressed in skill and maturity.

On Sunday, 10/10/2010, Bikes Not Bombs volunteers loaded a shipment of over 500 donated bikes and shipped them to the Prisoners Support Organization in Uganda.

David Branigan, BNB International Programs Director, worked as an international field worker for Bikes Not Bombs in Ghana before taking up his current position. While with the Ability Bikes Cooperative, he made an amazing documentary video explaining this project and our Ghanaian partners who are running it.

On Sunday, April 11th, Bikes Not Bombs volunteers loaded a shipment of 502 bikes for the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana, which contained the 40,000th bike that BNB has shipped to international partners! (And we've saved many more used bikes from the landfill by reusing them in our youth programs and bike shop.) Thanks to all the volunteers that helped make this happen!

April 2010

Last month, David Branigan (International Programs Director), Samantha Wechsler (Executive Director) and Gwyndaf Jones (Volunteer) visited CACITA, a potential Bikes Not Bombs partner in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Maya Pedal, a long-term Bikes Not Bombs partner in Guatemala. What a powerful and productive trip!

International Programs Director Report

David Branigan’s January 2010 visit to Ghana

On September 27th, Bikes Not Bombs shipped our 4th container of bicycles and parts to our partner in Arusha, Tanzania - the Global Alliance for Africa Vijana Vocational Center. There were 430 bicycles, 38 frames, 200 wheels, 32 bundles of tires and many boxes of parts packed into the container, as well as lots of love and effort.

January 2009 Update

KOFORIDUA, GHANA: ABILITY BIKES

See David Branigan's blog and photos

A group of activists in Brattleboro VT have collected over 175 donated bikes, 55 boxes of books, 75 computers, and several wheelchairs for shipment to Ghana.

Carl Kurz, BNB's International Director and founder, has just visited the Diepsloot Youth Cycles Project, both a youth training center and a full service bicycle shop. Bikes Not Bombs sent bikes, tools, and trainers Alex Twombly and Omar Bhimji to establish this project in 2005.

David Branigan, BNB mechanic, has been in Ghana since May starting a new project (many of you are familiar with the pre-existing Village Bicycle Project in Ghana where we've shipped bikes for years).

On Sunday, June 15th Bikes Not Bombs volunteers loaded a 40' shipping container with 464 donated and many buckets and bundles of spare parts, now on its way to the Diepsloot, South Africa "Youth Cycles Project."

1/16/08
an update from Carl Kurz, BNB's International Director

From 2000 to 2006 Bikes Not Bombs shipped donated bikes to the El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technology (CESTA). In 2001 BNB shipped a container of relief aid to CESTA following a massive earthquake. Here is an interview with CESTA's director, printed in Red Pepper, April 2007 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/

Only our very local volunteers got the news and helped out in December, so we just wanted to let everyone know that we successfully loaded and sent another shipment of nearly 500 bicycles to the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana.