Our family has decided that, in lieu of many pricey and unnecessary gifts this year, we were going to donate a couple of bikes to people on the other side of the world. People for whom the bicycle is not alternative transportation, it IS transportation.
Athough there are many other organizations that use bicycles to send aid to people around the world, we could only choose one, and we chose to send our donation through World Bicycle Relief.
Chris and I actually met some people who do the work on the ground for this organization, when we went to the annual Interbike trade show in September. It's hard enough for us to imagine how different some people's lives are from our own. Our kids had no concept of it. We spent a long time looking at their website, and learned about the humanitarian work they do in Zambia, and the countries affected by the tsunami of 2004. We found those places on a map, read folks' personal stories, and looked at lots of photos. We talked about how despite glaring difference s in lifestyle and resources, the needs of all people are the same as ours: food, shelter, clean water, access to healthcare, education and jobs.
If you'd rather not succumb to the commercial frenzy that is Christmas in this country, consider giving a bicycle to someone who really needs it. May the holidays fill your spirit for many miles to come...
Really cool idea! We're doing similar stuff this holiday, Heifer and ten Thousand Villages. It beats filling up your life with plastic piles of stuff.
Posted by: kim | December 06, 2007 at 01:36 PM