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.

WATCH THE ABILITY BIKES FILM ONLINE NOW! at http://vimeo.com/13461740




NEVIS ISLAND EARN-A-BIKE YOUTH VIDEO COMING SOON!

Now in August 2010, David is currently visiting the Nevis Island Earn-A-Bike youth program which was established and is supported by Bikes Not Bombs. David is working with leader Donford Wilkinson and the program participants to evaluate their possibilities for expansion and future uses of bikes sent from Boston. David is also taking video footage, so look for a documentary presentation on the big screen and discussion at Bikes Not Bombs coming soon!

Bikes Not Bombs will ship our 23rd container to the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana on Sunday July 18th! Village Bicycle Project provides subsidized bicycles and maintenance training to the most rural villages throughout Ghana. The affordable mobility a bicycle offers leads directly to increased economic activity, greater access to education and health care, and personal empowerment. Village Bicycle Project also provides subsidized tools and advanced mechanics training to local mechanics, building capacity and improving the infrastructure for long-term bicycle repair and use.

We start at 10:00 am (bagels and coffee provided) and work until we finish, which we expect to be 4:00pm. We'll take a break around 1pm for a pizza lunch (provided) and a short talk about the project. Volunteers can come for any part of this time that works for you. Experience not required. We'll be moving, sorting, and loading bikes, wheels, and spare parts. You may wish to bring work gloves.

This event happens RAIN or SHINE!

Directions

This event does NOT happen at Bikes Not Bombs, but is just around the corner. We will be loading from a big parking lot at 179 Boylston St., Jamaica Plain, 2 blocks from the Stony Brook T stop on the Orange Line. Coming from the BNB HUB at 284 Amory Street, turn right on Amory. At the first traffic light turn right on Boylston Street (where the Stony Brook T stop is on your left) and then turn right into a large parking lot which is part of the Brewery Complex. You'll see our 40 ft. shipping container parked in this lot, just off the street.

Bikes Not Bombs will ship our 23rd container to the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana on Sunday July 18th!  Village Bicycle Project provides subsidized bicycles and maintenance training to the most rural villages throughout Ghana. The affordable mobility a bicycle offers leads directly to increased economic activity, greater access to education and health care, and personal empowerment. Village Bicycle Project also provides subsidized tools and advanced mechanics training to local mechanics, building capacity and improving the infrastructure for long-term bicycle repair and use.

We start at 10:00 am (bagels and coffee provided) and work until we finish, which we expect to be 4:00pm. We'll take a break around 1pm for a pizza lunch (provided) and a short talk about the project. Volunteers can come for any part of this time that works for you. Experience not required. We'll be moving, sorting, and loading bikes, wheels, and spare parts. You may wish to bring work gloves.

This event happens RAIN or SHINE!

Directions

This event does NOT happen at Bikes Not Bombs, but is just around the corner. We will be loading from a big parking lot at 179 Boylston St., Jamaica Plain, 2 blocks from the Stony Brook T stop on the Orange Line. Coming from the BNB HUB at 284 Amory Street, turn right on Amory. At the first traffic light turn right on Boylston Street (where the Stony Brook T stop is on your left) and then turn right into a large parking lot which is part of the Brewery Complex. You'll see our 40 ft. shipping container parked in this lot, just off the street.

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!

For the Village Bicycle Project, this shipment also marks a milestone as their 100th container of bicycles they have received (from BNB and other sources). At about 480 bikes per container that's 48,000 bikes, and with over 23 million people in Ghana, this works out to roughly 1 bike brought in per 497 people in the country - a huge impact! Requests from villages around Ghana are higher than ever and George Aidoo and Samson Ayine are busy traveling, leading workshops on bike maintenance, and selling bikes at subsidized prices to rural villagers who would not otherwise have a source of bicycles.

On Sunday April 11th, Bikes Not Bombs volunteers will load a 40' shipping container full of bicycle aid to send to the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana. We are excited to announce that this shipment will mark 40,000 bikes shipped overseas by Bikes Not Bombs! (with many more bikes saved from landfills and used in our youth programs and bike shop)

A woman test rides her new bike after a VBP workshop in Piina, Ghana, March '09. Photo by VBP.

For the Village Bicycle Project (VBP), this shipment also marks a milestone as their 100th container of bicycles they have received (from BNB and other sources). At about 480 bikes per container that's 48,000 bikes, and with over 23 million people in Ghana, this works out to roughly 1 bike brought in per 497 people in the country - a huge impact. Requests from rural villages for VBP visits (with training workshops and bikes) are higher than ever and George Aidoo and Samson Ayine are busy traveling, training, and distributing bikes.

We start at 10:00 am (bagels and coffee provided) and work until we finish, which we expect to be 3:30 or 4:00pm. We'll take a break around 1pm for a pizza lunch (provided) and a short talk about the project. Volunteers can come for any part of this time that works for you. Experience not required. We'll be moving, sorting, and loading bikes, wheels, and spare parts. You may wish to bring work gloves.

This event happens RAIN or SHINE!

The Village Bicycle Project (VBP) is based in the capital, Accra, where they will wholesale part of the shipment to 20-30 local small bike businesses. VBP trainers then take the remaining bikes to small villages around the country to do workshops in basic bike maintenance; people who complete the workshop can buy a bike for 1/2 price. The more active economy of the capital subsidizes bringing bikes affordably to small villages. See the VBP website at www.ghanabikes.org.

VBP bike maintenance workshop for women in Piina, Ghana, March '09. Photo by VBP.

See photos from these workshops in Piina at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/thuyle1020/VillageBicycleProject?authkey=Gv1...




Also, you can see a short video online about bikes from BNB going to the VBP (this video is some years old, and was made when BNB was at our old location), see http://current.com/items/76310502_village-bicycle-project.htm

Directions

This event does NOT happen at Bikes Not Bombs, but is just around the corner. We will be loading from a big parking lot at 179 Boylston St., Jamaica Plain, 2 blocks from the Stony Brook T stop on the Orange Line. Coming from the BNB HUB at 284 Amory Street, turn right on Amory. At the first traffic light turn right on Boylston Street (where the Stony Brook T stop is on your left) and then turn right into a large parking lot which is part of the Brewery Complex. You'll see our 40 ft. shipping container parked in this lot, just off the street.