Category: international

Cycling in Benin: Donation Drive for Benin National Team

The Benin National Team have a knack for piecing together road bikes from miscellaneous components. Photo credit: Christoph Herby
Our favorite former pro racer turned Peace Corps Volunteer and CyclingNews.com blogger, Christoph Herby, has stirred up tremendous interest in supporting the Benin National Team with his recent “Cycling in Benin” posts. His most recent post is “Dreaming of the Champs Elysées.” (more…)

Support international bicycle businesses through microfinance

Kiva is a Web 2.0 microfinance community allows the affluent to support and interact with small businesses in remote places. Lenders give loans as small as $25 to enterpreneurs all over the world. One kind of business that participants can support through Kiva is bicycle shops. Consider for example the Reaksmey Sar Group of Ta Reab Doun Sar Village, Cambodia:

This village bank loan which consists of twelve people is located in Ta Reab Doun Sar village in Kandal Province. Mrs. Reaksmey Sar is the village bank president who has been selected by the members. She is a 43 year old housewife and the mother of four children, all of whom are attending the local school. Her husband, Mr. Koem Muny, repairs bicycles. In this business, he now faces a small problem because he does not have enough money to buy bike equipment for his customers. Thus, his wife, Mrs. Reaksmey Sar, decided to ask for a loan to buy more bike equipment for her husband’s business.

The Reaksmey Sar Group needs $175 in increments as small as $25 each to complete their loan. Why not support cycling in Cambodia this holiday season? And if you do join Kiva, be sure to sign on to the “Move Your World” team of cycling supporters.