KLM and her employees have always shown social responsibility. In 2009 KLM celebrates her 90th birthday and is therefore sponsoring a charity. KLM is raising funds with a range of activities under the umbrella of Cycling Blue for Kenya. The Cycling Blue for Kenya project is executed by Cycling out of poverty in cooperation with our local organisation Uvumbuzi. This project comprises 3 components:
The eduction centre annex workshop is being established in Kisumu, the third largest town in Kenya. By providing courses, micro credit for (modified) bicycles and creating of employment, it is aimed to reduce poverty. Our partner organisation Uvumbuzi has executed a needs assessment in different towns, and determined that Kisumu is the most appropriate location for the project. One of the criteria for choosing the location was the local demand for a centre like this and a Cycle to school project. Local support is essential for the success of the project.
In the first phase of the projects, partnerships will be explored and established for setting up and running the workshop. After that the workshop will be created. In the workshop bicycles will be repaired and sold. Also, modified bicycles such as bicycle carts (for instance bicycle ambulances) will be developed and produced. These modified bicycles are made for sale (garbage collectors for urban environments) but can also be developed for local entrepreneurs who want a (modified) bicycle to generate income (for instance bicycles with a coolbox, bicycles with extended carriers for transport of cabages). These local entrepreneurs can buy these modified bicycles on micro credit provided by the centre.
The sustainability of the centre is safeguarded, since the revenues from sales and trainings can cover the operational cost. The aim is to have a selfsufficient centre in 2 years, operating in trainings and repairs of the large number of bicycles in Kisumu.
Starting up Cycling Blue for Kenya project in Kisumu
1 June 2009
Cycling out of poverty and Uvumbuzi are cooperating in the Cycling Blue project with a Boda Boda (bicycle taxi) association. The association has a constituency of 16,000 bicycle taxis in Kisumu. They organise promotional events and provide credit and saving facilities to their members. This SACCO (Saving and Credit Co-operation) has an established financial infrastructure and can incorporate a Cycle to school project and other bicycle micro credit projects in Kisumu. This organisation will be managing the workshop. The workshop will handle the more complex bicycle repairs and sales of spare parts, but most of all the design, production and sales of modified bicycles for small business. There is not only demand for modified bicycles for boda boda’s (new bicycles are modified right away to increase the load carrying capacity of the carrier), but also for development of new models for income generating activities, such as ice vendors, courier services, etc. This will create opportunities for employment. KLM organises the starting capital for the workshop, the sustainability is safeguarded because the revenues cover the operational cost and profits are allocated for the growth strategy.
Kick off Cycling blue for Kenya project
24 juni 2009
In July Cycling out of poverty will start with her local partner organisation Uvumbuzi with establishing a workshop for modified bicycles in Kisumu, Kenya. There is a demand for bicycles for small entrepreneurs, bicycles that are specifically designed and adapted to a certain profession. For instance bicycle carts, bicycles for selling soft drinks, bicycle for distribution of bread, bicycle taxis, etc. The workshop will produce these bicycles on order. This opens up opportunities for local entrepreneurs to generate income. This workshop is one of the elements of the Cycling blue for Kenya project, sponsored by KLM.
Cooperation with Cordaid in Kisumu, Kenya
22 August 2009
Kisumu is one of the cities in Cordaid’s Urban Matters program, a program to create sustainable neighbourhoods in cities. Kisumu struggles from numerous challenges in terms of housing, employment, health problems, solid waste, pollution, violence and criminality. Cordaid has been supporting Kisumu for a while, but has come to the conclusion that the challenges have to be dealt with more than one agency. The Cycling Blue workshop that Cycling out of poverty is setting up in Kisumu offers the opportunity to work hand in hand with Cordaid and other partners to explore possibilities to upgrade the city of Kisumu.
Frequent flyers support the Cycling Blue for Kenya project
25 August 2009
On Monday 24th of August the KLM Platinum Elite members played the final round of the KLM flying Blue Platinum Golf tournament 2009. This year the 90th birthday of the KLM was celebrated. The participants were invited to donate money or Flying Blue Miles to the KLM AirCares project Cycling Blue for Kenya. These Miles will be used by Cycling out of poverty for regular monitoring of the projects. A generous amount of € 2,955 en 3,260,872 miles were donated, topped with another 160,000 miles by a supportive winner of the Longest Drive who auctioned his award. KLM will double these amounts. In the last quarter of 2009 you can donate to the Cycling Blue for Kenya project via KLM’s AirCares programme.
Urban matters workweek in Kisumu
2 October 2009
Last week Cordaid organised a workweek in Kisumu as part of the Urban Matters programme: a week whereby different stakeholders who are working on developing the neighbourhood Manyatta were brought together to link their activities and come up with a joint strategy and action plan. Stakeholders were addressing issues of (drinking and waste) water, sanitation, solid waste, housing, urban transport and entrepreneurship (Cycling out of poverty). The most important output of the week for Cycling out of poverty was that the commissioner appointed a location for a recourse centre in Manyatta, where trainings can be given about bicycle maintenance and repair, and also capacity building on entrepreneurship in general. This will be followed up in the next months.
4 students of Delft University of Technology start designing African bicycle
5 November 2009
In Kisumu Kenya, Cycling out of poverty is setting up a workshop where bicycles will be sold, repaired and modified. In recent years Cycling out of poverty has provided a large number of bicycles on micro credit to small entrepreneurs in Africa. However, more and more small entrepreneurs indicate that the average African bicycle is not adequate for their businesses. Therefore, the workshop will make modified bicycles available for entrepreneurial development. A team of students of Delft University of Technology started working on designing a multi-functional African bicycle. The project team consists of 4 ambitious and motivated industrial design engineering students. During the last 3 weeks the students have made a assessment of what type of bicycle is needed. They have interviewed boda boda riders, street venders, discussed their ideas with a group of students of the local polytechnic and visited shops that provide bicycle components and building materials. During the following months they will start working on the designs. To read more about the African Bicycle Design team, click here for their blog.
Urban Matters work week in the Netherlands
15 November 2009
The Urban Matters team from Kisumu Kenya visited Rotterdam and The Hague for a work week. During this week Cordaid facilitated an exchange between different stakeholders in the Urban Matters programme, not only from Kisumu, but also from San Salvador, Cape Town and the Netherlands. The video gives an impression of the current and planned activities in this programme in Kisumu.
Prototype African vending bicycle ready
3 January 2010
4 students of the Delft Technical University are designing a bicycle for African street vendors. In November 2009 they have researched the needs and demands of the bicycle users in Kisumu Kenya. A co-creation team is established of (mobile) street vendors, neighbourhood association, market vendors, VBBS, metalworkers, bicycle mechanics, representative of disabled people, etc, who are a sounding board for the students in the design process. The previous month the students have designed a protoype at the Technical University in Delft. The following weeks they will return to Kisumu to have the bicycle tested by the co-creation team and to fine tune it. The bicycle will be produced in the Cycling Blue workshop in Kisumu, for which the official opening is planned at 13/14 February. Click on the video at the bottom of the page for an update of this design project.
KLM donates 80,900 euros
6 January 2010
The airline company KLM sponsors the Cycling Blue project in Kenya. In this project a workshop is established for bicycle repair and modification. Furthermore, support to entrepreneurs will be provided in trainings (maintanance and repair of bicycles, entrepreneurs skills) and micro finance facilities. Paul Elich handed over a cheque of 80,900 euros en 12,216,691 airmiles to Luuk Eickmans, director of Cycling out of Poverty.
COOP bicycle tested in Kisumu Kenya
9 January 2010
Four students of the Technical University of Delft have designed a bicycle for African street vendors. Two of the four students have returned to Kisumu Kenya to test the prototype. A number of street vendors have tested the bicycle. One of which is Steve the juice salesman, who tested the prototype for a whole day. Click on the video for a small taste of a day of selling juices in Kisumu with our bicycle. The bicycle will be produced in the workshop we are establishing in Kisumu. For more updates from the students, go to
http://africanbicycledesign.wordpress.com/.
Cycling Blue workshop Kisumu Kenya pre-launched
14 February 2010
On Saturday 13th of February the bicycle workshop in Kisumu Kenya was officially opened. The boda boda bicycle taxi community put in a lot of work for 2 weeks in renovating the place, just in time for the pre-launch. The same day global cyclist and ambassador of Cycling out of Poverty Frank van Rijn arrived at the site. A group of 100 boda boda bicycle taxi's, representatives of KLM and Cycling out of Poverty, Hon. Shakeer Shabir (MP of Kisumu Town East), and a marching band joined Frank in his ride to the workshop. Hon. Shakeer Shabir, Karen Blanken of KLM and Frank van Rijn unvieled the banner with the name of the workshop. The workshop is planned to be fully operational on the 1st of April.
Support this project
Donations
Your donations, big and small, are really appreciated. You may want to go out and collect money yourself. Money raised or your donation can be paid in to bank account: KLM Corporate Schiphol ‘Kenya’, account number 58.69.93.568.
Support us with an "online" donation
It's possible to support us quick, easy and safe via KLm by clicking on the "aircares" button. you can support us by donating money or air-cares. This donation facility is hosted by KLM.
Volunteers
We are looking for technical students and/or vollunteers who are willing to assist in designing modified bicycles and prototypes. We are also looking for vollunteers to train the local mechanics. Interested? Send an email to info@cyclingoutofpoverty.com or call 0031(0)6-15895529 (Luuk Eickmans).
Tools
To set up the workshop we need tools. Preferably the entire inventory of a bicycle workshop, including welding equipment. Can you help? Send an email to info@cyclingoutofpoverty.com.
Films
June 2009, introduction Cycling Blue workshop Kisumu
October 2009, Cordaid work week: impression of last day
Oktober 2009, Cordaid work week: impression of theme bicycle entrepreneurs
November 2009, 4 students of Delft University of Technology start designing African bicycle
November 2009, Cordaid work week in the Netherlands
December 2009, Prototype African vending bicycle ready
The eduction centre annex workshop is being established in Kisumu, the third largest town in Kenya. By providing courses, micro credit for (modified) bicycles and creating of employment, it is aimed to reduce poverty. Our partner organisation Uvumbuzi has executed a needs assessment in different towns, and determined that Kisumu is the most appropriate location for the project. One of the criteria for choosing the location was the local demand for a centre like this and a Cycle to school project. Local support is essential for the success of the project.
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