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Kwame Fie got his bike at a program in his home village of Liati, in
2002.
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In 2008, he brought his bike to an advanced class, where he learned how
to get chain-links unstuck. |
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Brekumanso, Ghana is a farming village about 6 km from the district
capital (like county seat) and 75 km from Accra. Brekumanso and all
its neighboring villages do not have electricity. Transport to most
locations is via line taxi or tro-tro (mini-van). Some locations
require a chartered (i.e., expensive) ride, so a lot of people walk.
Farming is almost the sole occupation, and even the few traders have a
farm for food and some income.
In October of 2005 we held a one-day workshop on bike repair and 20
people recieved bikes for half the normal price. Peace Corps Volunteer
(PCV) and local host of the workshop Kate Schachter wrote this letter to
the folks in Chicago whose donation of a container of bikes made this
workshop (and about 10 others) possible.
To WorkingBikes Cooperative:
Thank you for your generous support of a small, unknown village in West
Africa, Brekumanso, West Akim District, Eastern Region, Ghana. If you
are looking for us on a map, you probably won’t find us, but you can
find the Suhum-Asamankese road. We are just a drive-by town of about
2300 residents on that road.
These bicycles are making a big difference in the lives of the workshop
participants already, and I have included interviews with three people
in this letter. If you are interested in further communication with any
of the individuals or me, we would be happy to hear from you. Ghanaians
love penpals!
I will be organizing additional bicycle workshops in my village and
certain of the radiating village communities that are more remote. I
know that the program is popular among the Peace Corps Volunteers in
Ghana, and we are grateful to David for organizing it, but also
grateful to all of the donors such as yourselves for the support. I
think the model he has established, of requiring some payment and some
personal time input, is a recipe for success and promotes
self-sufficiency. It is not just an aid hand-out resulting in further
dependency.
The people of Brekumanso recognize the value of the used bicycles in
their lives. And I appreciate your generosity in helping with the
program.
Kind regards,
Kate Schachter
Kate's interviews follow: (note- 9,200 cedis equals one dollar)
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Awudi Prosper is 15 years old, a big boy, but purchased the
inexpensive Child’s bike, (for about $9), and wants to upgrade. He has
completed JSS (like our middle school) but has no money for SSS (like
our high school). He is unemployed, but helps his parents’ farm. He
would like to take a Business course at SSS, and has the grades to show
(received a 19 out of a maximum of 30 points to qualify to enter), but
the ~US$200/year to attend is beyond their means.
Prosper uses the bicycle to run errands for his family, and to go to
farm. He really likes being able to get places quickly. Sometimes his
parents send him to a neighboring town, Owuram, to buy medicine. Owuram
is about 2.5 km away, and he used to walk. The farm is also about 2.5 km
away.
The bike doesn’t save money, because he walked before, but it saves a
lot of time. Because it is a small one-speed bicycle, he doesn’t ride
it to Asamankese, the market town for the area about 6 km away.
Prosper paid for the bicycle by making “small-small job to pay for it.”
He worked for other farmers doing weeding. Sometimes they pay ¢15,000
for three hours of weeding. [Note: an adult man gets ¢20,000-¢40,000,
depending on the job and length of time.]
At the workshop, he learned that he should not use a hacksaw blade when
repairing punctures. He should be careful when riding at a place where
there are pebbles, because of punctures. He learned to clean the
bicycle chain to prevent rusting, and the proper way to shift gears so
they don’t spoil. Every morning, he must make sure his bicycle tires
are well before riding. A fault which you can’t do, you should send it
to the bicycle repairer. He felt the workshop was very good, and didn’t
need more information.
Since receiving the bicycle, he has used the community tools to oil his
bicycle chain. They are easy to access, and all he has to do is ask.
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Solomon Amuzu
Solomon is a 19-year old who purchased an 18-speed mountain bike. He
rides it “everywhere, because it is good for me.” He likes the type of
bike a lot, and it has a very high/fast speed. He rides to SSS in
Asamankese (about 8 km to the school). Sometimes his mother sends him
to Owuram to buy medicine. Sometimes he rides to Kwekusae (about 1.5 km
away) to watch soccer on TV at his relatives’ house. He also rides it to
work.
It helps him to go places quickly. He doesn’t have to think about lorry
fare. So far [in the two weeks between workshop and interview] he has
saved ¢53,000 in lorry fare to Owuram and Asamankese.
Solomon earned money for the bicycle by working for a PCV [that would
be me!]. He weeds around the house, helps with anything else that is
needed, and teaches Twi, the local language. For the Twi, he receives
¢50,000/month. For the weeding, he is paid ¢20,000/week. Solomon has
also been very focused in saving his earnings, and is paying for SSS
through this work. Notice the difference in age between Solomon and
Prosper. The age range is typical for students in this country.
Students frequently have to drop out of school for a year or two to
help farm, or because of money have to wait before they can enter SSS.
He is basically a high school freshman at 19.
At the workshop, he learned that he is to check his air pressure in the
morning, and also not to push the gears when riding very fast. They told
him that he should make sure that the brakes touch the rim but not the
tire. Also, he shouldn’t remove a punctured tire with a knife or
spanner because it may poke the tube and spoil it. He also learned that
after oiling the chain, he should clean it with a cloth to prevent dust
from entering the chain. “We shouldn’t force to use the bike if there
is a fault on it, unless we have repaired it.” He wishes they had
learned how to repair the gears, how to repair the spokes when they are
loose or some are spoiled, and how to repair the bearings.
When he wants to use the community tools, he goes to Elder Twum’s house
and just asks. Of course, in Solomon’s case, he can also use my PCV
bicycle toolkit, and I can verify that he takes excellent care of his
bicycle…far better than I do of mine!
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Peter Tarku
Peter is 36 years old, and modestly calls himself a farmer by
profession, raising cocoa, maize and cassava for income. However, he is
also an electronics technician, though it is unlikely he can make much
money repairing TV’s, Walkmans and radios in the economic climate of
Brekumanso, where there’s no electricity. Peter is an Elder in the
Pentecost church in Owuram, chairman of the Water/Sanitation committee,
and active in the Brekumanso community.
Bra Peter uses his mountain bike daily. His farm is in a nearby
community, about 2 km away. Previously he walked to farm, so this saves
him a lot of time. He bikes throughout Brekumanso on various community
business. He saves money by biking to church on Sunday, whereas before
he took the lorry. A new aspect is that he now attends nighttime Church
services 1-2 times/week, and does more community outreach and service.
So far, he has bicycled up to 6 km away to some of the local
communities, most of which are off the main road and expensive to get
to by lorry, or far to walk. He estimates that he save
¢4,000-10,000/day, and that in the three weeks since the workshop, he
has saved ¢60,000 in lorry fare.
He paid for the ¢250,000 mountain bicycle by selling a sack of maize.
He can get 6-8 sacks of maize from each harvest (2-3 times/year). [Note
that the farmers not only grow the maize without any sort of farming
automation, but also manually shell the corn before selling it. During
the harvest seasons there are groups of people sitting in the shade
shelling maize every afternoon, and before and after dinner each
evening.]
At the workshop, he learned the importance of bike maintenance, and
what to inspect each morning. He learned to adjust the brakes, clean
the chain and take care of the bike in a dusty environment. He doesn’t
have any other training needs. If he can’t fix the bike himself, there
are two repairers in the village who can help. If he needs to fix the
bicycle, he goes to his “brother” [Elder Twum] who keeps the tools and
asks to use them. He does not have to pay a fee, and there is almost
always someone at the house to get them for him.
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In August 2003 we held a One-day workshop in Gomoa Assempanyin. 20
people received bikes for half-price. A year later, Lizandra Vidal went
there and interviewed and photo'd several people about their bikes.
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Cobbinah with his bike at his
pineapple farm. Photo by
Lizandra Vidal
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Cobbinah Amensah
Cobbinah works as a cleaner at the University of Winneba, and is also a
pineapple farmer. His 26” Mountain Huffy is in excellent condition and
he told me that he has not had a single maintenance problem and that in
fact, he hasn’t done anything to the bicycle (except oil the chain) in
the past year, not even pump the tires! Since getting the Huffy, which
was made possible by a loan from his workplace, Cobbinah uses it
everyday to get to work. This has saved him an incredible sum of
money. The University is about 25 kilometers from Assempanyin; he used
to have to take two cars to get to work, taking a shared taxi to the
junction, and then another to the University. Now he bikes the first
leg, parks his bike and boards the car at the junction. This saves him
120,000 cedis a month in taxi fare, and which is at least 1/4 of his
monthly salary. [In two months he saved the cost of his bike.] He
also says that he likes to have the bike so that he can just jump on
and go anytime he wants, instead of having to wait for a car to come. |
James Dunkwa and his family.
Photo and story by Lizandra Vidal. |
James Dunkwa
James is a teacher in his 30’s, who also supports his family with
farming. He used to walk 45 minutes everyday to his rural school, but
now he uses his bike to get there in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, Mr.
Dunkwa has been a little lax in maintaining his bicycle, he rides it
hard and doesn’t regularly tend to the damage that is incurred. The
rear hub was so loose that I was amazed that he could even ride the
thing, both wheels were out of true, the brakes crazy crooked, and the
gears all bound up. We talked about it, and he reacted somewhat
sheepishly, saying he just doesn’t know anything of bicycles, and
implied that Fifi, the local mechanic, charges too much. The next
morning we went together to Fifi’s place and on the spot Fifi
skillfully fixed the rear hub, and we all talked about other needed
work, the charges, and a regular maintenance plan.
a photo essay from a remote
village
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| The following interviews were conducted by Peace Corps Volunteer and VBP
workshop host Sunniva Rodgers in early 2003, several months after the
workshop in Liati Agbonyra, Volta Region, Ghana. She also took the
photos. |
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Kente Weaver
(2003) Emmanuel Opeku is a 19 year old kente weaver. He has recently
graduated his apprenticeship and is now trying to survive with his own
weavings.
His main purpose for the bicycle is to ride to a place 17 miles from
Liati to sell his work. By riding the VBP bike, he is able to save what
he would make off of two kente strips. |
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Carpenter
(2003) Richard Abobu is a carpenter and father of one in Liati Agbonyra.
It is difficult for him to find steady work in the village and he must
travel to surrounding areas in order to find jobs. He is not able to
afford the transportation fare to other villages and may spend all day
walking. On occasions he has been able to borrow a bicycle from a
friend, but this has proven to be a unreliable source of
transportation.
Richard also finds it difficult to transport wood and other supplies
back to Liati when working. The VBP has helped his work tremendously.
He is now able to "be free", riding to and from villages at any given
moment when work or supplies are needed. Richard maintains his
bicycle well and hasn't experienced any major problems. |
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| This next group of people and their bikes were among case studies
commissioned by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
(ITDP) in 2001. Photos
and stories done by David Peckham. Only one of them (Rose Dzani) got
their bike from a VBP workshop. |
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School Teacher
Josephine Akpene is a kindergarten teacher at Lotakor public school, in
Eastern Ghana. She travels the five kilometers from her home to school
each day by bicycle. The school is located on a graveled road, It is
often difficult to find a taxi to make the journey, and it is
relatively expensive, at 1000 to 1500 cedis going, and 500 cedis to
return.
The bicycle is a one-speed women’s bike, probably made in Europe, with
26 inch narrow tires and mud guards. Her father gave it to her to use
two years ago when she started teaching at Lotakor. She thinks he
bought it in Accra. She carries books, papers and sometimes food on the
luggage rack in back. She lives in her father’s house in Agbozume, and
he takes care of all repairs. She is 26 years old. |
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Palmwine Farmer and Distiller
Joseph, age 60, has had his bicycle for 30 years, taking him from his
home in the village of Gbefi, Ghana, to his farm and the large
neighboring village of Golokuati. On his bike he hauls produce;
cassava, corn, tomatoes and yams to his home, and his cash-crop,
palm-gin to his customers.
Joseph's still is at the farm, along with the trees that produce the
palm-wine. He has two 25 liter plastic jugs that he fills for his
customers, all of whom are within biking distance, no more than 12
kms.
The bicycle is a 26 inch one-speed common to French west African
countries. Often they are Peugeots, and until the 1980's many were
assembled in Africa. He bought his bike in nearby French-speaking Togo.
His carrier, kickstand and chainguard are all made by local
metalworkers. He says he has no problems with his bike because he takes
it to repairers at Kpando, 10 kms. west of his village.
On this particular evening he rode to Golokuati, 7 km. east of home, to
buy kerosene for the lamps. On the back he's carrying a few yams from
the farm, and some fish he also bought in Golokuati.
He says his bike saves a lot of money on transport. Today, for example,
he would have had to pay full fare to take a car to the farm, even
though its less than half-way to Golokuati. Then he probably would've
had to walk the four km. to town, because all the passing cars would be
full. Returning home he would have to wait for the car to fill.
Round-trip fare is 2600 cedis (50 cents), and he would have reached
home an hour or two later. He has a pleased look on his face.
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Broom Maker
Dogah Riko, 43, makes brooms used for sweeping yards in West Africa.
Every five days he takes them to market at Aflao, the largest town in
Eastern Ghana.
He travels the first two kilometers by bicycle. At the lorry station at
Tokor junction, he parks his bike and continues the remaining eight km.
by mini-bus. He prefers to bike because his home is almost one
kilometer from the highway, and sometimes it’s a long wait before a
vehicle will stop, especially with his load of a dozen or more brooms.
"From [the junction] it is no problem to find car."
Dogah parks his bike at a safe place and takes transport because the
road is unsafe. His brooms make a wide load on the back of his bike.
The road is narrow and rough, with many cars, passing at high speeds.
The width and the extra weight, up to 35 kilos, makes it more difficult
to manuever out of the way of speeding cars.
He has used the same bike for 16 of the 17 years he's been making
brooms. "My bicycle doesn't save me so much money for my business, but
it saves much time and drudgery." His brooms are made from branches and
other organic materials he collects from the bush. Some of these
materials he conveys with his bicycle along single-track bush
paths.
Over the years repairs have been made over the entire bike, a
Chinese-style roadster which he bought second-hand. He's had particular
problems with the crank, and the headset. The steer tube shows a large
scar of a weld. His repairer is a blacksmith at Tokor. He's using
hardwood pedals that he's had for several years. One of them is almost
worn-out.
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The new commuter in Accra
George Kofi Aidoo, 36, is a bicycle repairer in Accra’s central bike
market. (This interview was conducted before he became project
manager). [link- home1) He specializes in buying low, making repairs
and selling high. George has been working here for more than five
years, and has been a bike mechanic for more than fifteen years.
About three months ago, he and his family moved to a new home in one of
the newer and quieter areas of the city, more than 10 km away from
work.
George quickly discovered that the transit commute took three hours
each way, including a 30-minute walk near his home where transport
doesn’t reach. It takes two, sometimes three vehicles to complete the
one-way trip. He decided to keep one of his nice bikes for his own
transportation. Biking saves four hours of commute time and 3200 cedis
a day. George is happy with his bicycle, “I save money and I beat the
traffic.”
His bike is a Giant with cro-moly frame that he paid 350,000 for, about
$50. He put a carrier on it, and recently added mudguards and
saddlebags, so he can carry large loads to his home, like bulk foods,
which saves his family money.
He changed tires, putting on large cleated ones to help get through
deep sand in the road near his home. Next he plans to buy lights, for
safer travel at night.
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The traveling bicycle repairer
Mahmood Seidu, 34, bicycles more than 30 km. per day in the course of
his traveling bicycle repair business. He has regular customers among
Accra’s bicycle dealers, which keeps him making rounds away from his
shop at the Airport Residential Area. He’s been doing this for six
years, since he moved to the capital from northern Ghana.
He’s been using the same bike, a Rocket, for 2 ½ years. He said he has
a “nice bike for myself, a BMX.” An apprentice employee minds the shop
while he makes his rounds checking in with used bike dealers. He much
prefers traveling by bicycle than by transport vehicle, it is faster
and much less costly. All the short trips and stops he makes would be
prohibitively expensive by taxi. His customers are scattered at
Kaneshie, Kaprice, Aladjo, and sometimes he has to go to the bike
market in central Accra for parts.
On a normal day he first bikes the four miles from his home to his
shop. Sometimes he stays up to several hours helping his apprentice. He
has a four-mile route to the first of his main group of regular
customers, and some small shops along the way occasionally have jobs
for him. Many of Ghana’s bike sellers are not skilled at repairing, so
there can be a lot of work for people like Mahmood.
In his toolbox he carries basic end wrenches, hammers and punches, and
several of the tools we introduced to the Accra bike market last year.
These are chain breaker, freewheel remover FR 1 (Park Tool number), and
crank puller. Nearly half of the freewheels he removes use the FR 1.
He says the notched freewheels aren’t so difficult to remove by
hammering. He would like to buy the FR4 and 5, but doesn’t now have
the money.
He says he couldn’t possibly do this work by transport, because of all
the stops he makes. It would be too costly.
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Woman farmer
Rose Dzani, 32, is a farmer in Tsibu-Bethel, Ghana. A year ago she
bought a mountain bike at half-price and learned to ride when, Village
Biycle Project brought a bike program to Tsibu-Bethel. Now she uses her
bike to go to village markets at nearby Tsake and Tsibu, both three km.
away. Sometimes she goes to more distant markets at Peki, six km.,
Kpeve 11 km., and Dzemeni 15 km. She is often accompanied by other
women from her village who also received bikes from VBP last year.
Her bike saves her both time and money. Before she would usually walk
to Tsibu and Tsake, because vehicles were rare, and at 1000 cedis, too
costly.
She only carries small amounts of produce, tied to the crossbar or on
her back, because she has no carrier. Cassava, tomatoes, okra, and
peppers are what she usually carries from home. From the larger
markets, especially Dzemeni, which is on Lake Volta, she brings fish.
One of the men was designated to mange the tools donated by the VBP,
and he does her repairs for her. She wants to get a carrier, and
replace the front deraileur, which has worn out. She very much likes
the gears, they help her climb the numerous hills in the area.
She says she will teach her two young daughters to ride when they are
old enough. She is expecting her third child, and says she will stop
riding before the baby is born, and resume again, "when he is big
enough."
a photo essay from a remote
village
more people and bikes
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