Partner meeting Kenya 2009

From 8-11 July a meeting was organised by I-CE and Cycling out of poverty in Kenya with the African partnerorganisations. The meeting was a follow up of the meeting in Burkina Faso in 2007 and the one in Uganda in 2008. During the meeting in Uganda a lot of technical aspects of bicycle micro finance projects were discussed. One of the most important subjects was the sustainability of the projects. How can you manage to give out another 100 bicycles if the beneficiaries have paid off a first round of 100 bicycles? How do you cover the administrative costs involved? The organisations brainstormed about this issue. Furthermore, obstacles in bicycle use were discussed. Bicycle micro finance makes it possible for a large number of people to have access to a bicycle. But what other obstacles are there once people have access to a bicycle? During the meeting with African organisations about bicycle micro finance projects, also the wider context of cycling in Africa was discussed. One of the topics was that the bicycle is a tool for poor people to climb (or cycle) out of poverty, but that it is not just a poor men’s vehicle: it can also be a lifestyle for middleclass people. Furthermore, the bicycle offers many other benefits (health, etc) that can help fight climate change. The participating African civil society organisations discussed how to approach the authorities to convince them of the importance of cycling.

Click on one of the photos below to read more about another ABN project.