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. Also, Dave Peckham and Samson Ayine of the VBP have met with Emmanuel Yeboah, the one-legged athlete who biked across Ghana to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of the disabled. (Rent the documentary Emmanuel's Gift.) Emmanuel has formed a group to begin a bicycle project to aid the disabled, and the VBP will conduct a training session for this group on January 23rd and 24th.

Bikes Not Bombs is planning another shipment to Ghana in early spring. See www.pcei.org/vbp/ for more info on the Village Bicycle Project.

Also, we're excited to announce the coming of a full-length documentary about the Village Bicycle Project, including BNB's involvement. The film is called Ayamye, which means "goodness, kindness and bounty." For advance information, see www.ayamye.org, and we look forward to showing the film here at Bikes Not Bombs!

The film producers write:
"Millions of rural Ghanaians suffer from a critical lack of reliable, affordable transport. Walking miles through the heat or spending 50% of their income on carfare has crippled many communities. The rural way of life is in crisis as many people leave their villages in hopes of better options in the capital city of Accra. When sustainable transportation is introduced it becomes a tool of development, enabling people to generate and save money. Education, health care and jobs become accessible without having to leave permanently.

Ayamye begins in Boston where volunteers work for two days loading a container with donated used bikes and parts. Through skillful packing, 450 bikes are loaded and the container is sent to Ghana, West Africa. The majority of the bikes are sold in a colorful frenzy to pay for shipping costs, while the best bikes are set aside to take to a rural community with limited transportation options. The film focuses on four individuals in Songornya, a salt mining and farming community. Ayamye chronicles the daily lives of Nurse Letitia, Seth, Mr. Ayim, and Faustina before they receive bikes and again, one year later...

Seth, too poor to afford secondary school, works on a poultry farm almost every day of the year. The poultry farm is located far from his village and friends. Through The Village Bicycle Project he receives a bicycle. With his bike he saves time in commuting – allowing him to contribute to the growth of the Youth Drama Group – reaching out to the Ghanaian youth with plays about HIV/Aids, Malaria and family planning.

A year later the film catches up with the community to see if the bikes are still maintained and how the long term effect of mobility has improved their situation in life, and in turn the development of the village. Ayamye celebrates the energy of the community and proves that sustainable solutions to crisis are not always complex. Goodness, kindness and bounty can go far to empower not just individuals but entire villages."