Editor’s note: The following story, told from the perspective of a donated bicycle, was submitted by local Bikes for the World organizer Valerie Van Hollen.
“Akosua is a cocoa farmer in Ghana. She uses her new-to-her bicycle to travel from the farm to the market four and a half miles away. Her bike allows her to travel four times faster and carry four times more of her product.”
I started my career as a new store-bought, name-brand bike, here in the United States, a gift for a nice 10-year-old boy. We had fun, but then I heard he had planned to ride the C&O Canal towpath as a fundraiser for a local woman’s shelter. My boy struggled, but pushed on and completed the ride. Afterward, I sat in the basement for a long time. I was moved to the garage for an even longer time. The next thing I know was back at Canal Place and being donated to Bikes for the World.
The volunteers, most of them from Western Maryland Wheelmen, were so nice and understanding. They knew that such a long rest required a little WD-40. Tender loving care can accomplish more than brute force. They explained I’d be going in a truck, then in a storage unit for a while. When enough of us were ready to go, bikes would be loaded on a shipping container, and we would be traveling on a boat overseas. Lots of talk about where, but we didn’t know until we got there.
As it turned out, it was Ghana, which is a small country on the west coast of Africa. As I came to find out, Bikes for the World, partners with Abilities Bikes. Abilities Bikes not only helps bikes but also helps people, too. What I mean is, they employ people with disabilities to repair and refurbish bikes, then they sell us to people who need bikes. They know that kids need rides to school, but they also know that adults need transportation to jobs and health care. Abilities also provides mobility equipment for people who have disabilities.
A number of people had a role in refurbishing me. I needed to have my chain cleaned and lubed. I needed new tires and I needed some handle-bar tape. I was kind of proud when they said my derailleur was good and my wheels remained true after all this time. I was cleaned up and given the Ghanian version of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
Meeting Akosua was the icing on the cake. I’m totally impressed with this woman who besides having a family, grows cocoa. I love our trips into the market where I see so much cocoa and sometime see bikes I’ve met before. I love Ghana and my life here, especially knowing how helpful I am to Akosua.
A bicycle does not need as much rest as I got when I was idle in the basement and garage for so long. I needed to be ridden and put to good use. I have found my purpose as I assist Akosua in finding hers.
If you know of a bike that has been resting too long, please give Bikes for the World a call. Contact Valerie Van Hollen at 301-777-8783. The next Cumberland Area Bikes for the World Collection is May 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at Canal Place.