Rotary transforming lives, one bicycle at a time

THE MAGIC of Rotary is alive and well. In a heart-warming display of international co-operation, the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek in Frederick, Maryland, USA, and the Rotary Club of Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, have joined forces to launch a transformative project aimed at improving lives across South Africa.

This ambitious initiative, supported by numerous Rotary clubs and NGOs, including Bicycles for Humanity and Bikes for the World, has mobilised communities in the USA, Canada and Australia to collect used bicycles and ship them to needy communities in South Africa.

One of the first shipments, a 12-metre container filled with 450 bicycles, recently arrived in Galeshewe. The container, sent by the Charleston branch of Bicycles for Humanity, left the port of Charleston, South Carolina, aboard the cargo ship MSC Carmen in early June and arrived at the port of Durban in early July.

The bicycles were meticulously dismantled and packed by cadets from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, in collaboration with Bicycles for Humanity. The container is now stationed next to the Galeshewe Youth Network office in the Mayibuye Uprising Precinct, Royal Street, Galeshewe.

Local Rotarians, in partnership with the Galeshewe Youth Network and Breakaway Cycles in Hadison Park, plan to transform the container into a bicycle repair workshop and storage facility, dubbed the Community Bicycle Resource Centre. This initiative aims to engage the community, NGOs, businesses and government entities to promote cycling for employment and leisure.

Medium-term goals include:

Establishing a micro-business for bicycle repairs.

Creating a bicycle rental outlet.

Promoting bicycle safety.

Developing a cycling hub for tourism and heritage trails.

Long-term aspirations involve:

Supporting the development of cycling leisure facilities.

Creating off-road trails and a pump track.

For over 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to implement sustainable projects. Rotary members, through 35,000 clubs worldwide, work tirelessly to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, support education and grow local economies.

The bicycle project is spearheaded by Stephen Bamonti of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek and Jonathan Moore Warner of the Rotary Satellite E-Club of Kimberley in the Karoo Region. South African project leaders include Andrew Killick and Fulvio Pace of the Rotary Club of Empangeni and Richard Jones of the Rotary Satellite E-Club of Kimberley in the Karoo Region.

The Rotary Club of Carroll Creek collaborates with Rockville, MD-based Bikes for the World and Bicycles for Humanity chapters in Canada, the USA and Western Australia. These efforts are mirrored by Rotary clubs across Africa, Canada, Australia and North America in collecting and distributing bicycles.

The Rotary Satellite E-Club of Kimberley in the Karoo Region, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kimberley, Northern Cape, aims to support communities in the Karoo region of South Africa through regular online meetings and global membership.

The Galeshewe Youth Network, a forum for NPOs in the greater Galeshewe area, focuses on lobbying for community resources, advocacy and capacity building.

For more information, contact Richard Jones on 066 232 8144 or via e-mail at richardljones.rotary@gmail.com

This collaborative effort exemplifies Rotary’s commitment to transforming lives and creating lasting change, one bicycle at a time.