7 / 4 / 2009

Independence Day in the U.S., Saturday here in Lusaka. I am up before 4AM, I'm not sure why. I think it's so I don't have to wake to the sound of crowing roosters. The house is still cold and dark; Friday night revelers can still be heard in the distance. Since we are so close to the equator, daylight only lasts 12 hours, generally 6AM to 6PM every day. It's a schedule that even chickens get bored with, they start announcing the sun shortly after 4 in the morning. Thinking of them I prepare a solid American breakfast of sausage and eggs, and one doxycyclene pill.

Today's agenda includes preparing new wheels to replace those that have been issued in the past week. The inaugural roll out included 100 bikes, there were an additional 110 delivered to a few test programs and administrators, so 210 in all. All but 20 have the new faulty parts. F.K. picks me up and we go to the office on Sable Road where about 15 workers have assembled to do the work. Over the next several hours they build 100 wheels using the old Czech hubs. WBR will replace the faulty wheels with these new ones on Wednesday when school is back in session (Monday is Heroes Day in Zambia recognizing those that worked to gain independence in 1964, Tuesday is Unity Day which sounds very enlightened, progressive and slightly socialist).

While they build the wheels, F.K. gives me a primer on the history of WBR and it's goals in Zambia. Following the Indian Ocean tsunami, which wrecked the coast of so many countries, F.K. wanted to use the skills at SRAM to assist those in need in Sri Lanka. After encountering some frustrating efforts attempting to work with, or through, established charities, who preferred cash to new ideas, F.K. and his wife Leah formed World Bicycle Relief with the help of several bicycle manufacturers and private donors. WBR was able to locate a local manufacturer in Sri Lanka to produce the bikes needed to assist healthcare workers and first responders serve their communities. The program was very successful. WBR had hoped to follow the same model in Zambia, but the complete lack of any organic bicycle industry made that an impossibility. Hence the relationship with Tata, who offers the best of many less-than-optimal solutions and bicycles.

Co Founders F.K. and Leah Day at the office

In Zambia, WBR has been working in conjunction with USAID, World Vision (a christian charity), the Salvation Army and a few other agencies associated with RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support - which is reaching for an acronym). There has even been some interaction with the World Bank providing bicycles to businesses through micro-loans. In phase I, WBR provided over 24,000 bicycles to health care workers; primarily villagers tending to HIV and AIDS victims.

At this time, WBR is a charity that is able to use its limited donations to fund a portion of their efforts in Zambia (25%). Most of the funding comes from World Vision, a 50 year old entity. The combination of the current economy, the competing demands of so many charities, and the limited experience of WBR, SRAM, F.K. et al in fund-raising makes the continued existence of WBR as a non-profit charity questionable. This is certainly true if WBR wishes to continue making an impact at the current scope of operations in Zambia (75,ooo bikes). In order to complete it's goals of increasing health-care, education and commerce for the 400+ million inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa, close to 30 million bicycles are needed. For these reasons F.K. has expressed the idea that WBR may wish to stay with what it knows best: providing management and logistical expertise in a for-profit manner. Customers will be those international organizations like World Vision or the World Bank once they can be convinced of the efficacy of F.K.'s dream of providing the power of bicycles to the disenfranchised.

Today's efforts of preparing to replace the suspect parts are evidence of the type of expertise WBR brings to the market. First, in moving aggressively to replace faulty merchandise and secondly, in contacting the supplier with even greater vigor to improve the quality of it's products.

We close the day with a home cooked meal at Dave's house (who is still in Kenya) prepared by Leah (F.K.'s wife). I spent most of the evening drawing pictures of airplanes, or building them out of scrap paper for young Lincoln (3 years old) who's appetite for aviation is unquenchable.