Category Archives: Peace Corps

bicycles, Moldova, Peace Corps

A Personal Note from Moldova

June 2014

We love to hear from people whose lives have been touched by P4P and our partners. We have been contacted by a woman who is connected with the Peace Corps and is in the process of campaigning for P4P to come to Grozesti, Moldova. If all goes well, we will ship to them in early spring. Just one container of bikes can change the lives of people in this small isolated town. Here is her message:

“My name is Carol Stadden. I am a retired baker serving as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in a small Moldovan village in Eastern Europe called Grozesti. Moldova is a country approximately the size of Pennsylvania and is considered the poorest in Europe. Peace Corp’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship with a commitment to improving the quality of life in each host country. I am in the Small Enterprise Development program. When I first arrived at [the] site, I heard there was a village where everyone rode a bike. How incredible! In 2005, a Peace Corps volunteer, working with P4P, had arranged for 500 bikes to be shipped to his village of Pelenia. I talked to the mayor of my village and she was eager to give Grozesti the same opportunity.

spring2014moldovaGrozesti

“Many people in the village own bikes, but they are extremely old and heavy one-speed models unsuitable for navigating the rocky, hilly, unpaved roads of Grozesti. Because of P4P, the communi ty will not only be able to purchase sturdy, quality bikes for an extremely affordable price but the bikes will enable farmers to get to and from their fields more easily and children to ride to and from school–sometimes as far as 5km. I hope to work with a group of high-school students to catalogue, repair, and sell the bikes so they can learn valuable business and employment skills. There is also the possibility that a community member will step forward to start a small bicycle parts/repair shop. Any surplus funds from this project would be used to assist them.

“I am an avid cyclist back home and the first thing I did once I arrived in Moldova was to buy a bicycle. This is the perfect way for me to share my enthusiasm for cycling while promoting small business. These bikes are generating so much excitement in the village, I believe there may be a bicycle club in Grozesti’s future! To learn more about Grozesti, please go to grozesti.weebly.com. One of my first projects was to create this website as a means of promoting the village and assist me in integration.”

Nicaragua, Peace Corps, Sewing Partners

Island Co-op Begins to Grow Roots

by Noelle London
Fall 2013 InGear

Last year as I sat at the high school graduation in the rural community of Balgüe, Nicaragua, I counted that a third of the girls in my class were either pregnant at the time or already had a child. I know I am failing to count a few as I was unaware they were mothers and that many other girls failed to make it to graduation day, dropping out previously due to teen pregnancy. Aside from this obvious problem, many other young Nicaraguan women choose to drop out of high school due to the pressure to provide for family needs within the household. Many may feel a need to be at home to complete daily chores like patting tortillas and cooking beans, looking after the men’s needs in the household, or caring for young children. While many urban communities may see a different situation, this is still the reality of a Nicaraguan woman in a rural community.

The island of Ometepe, Nicaragua
The island of Ometepe, Nicaragua

You see, this takes place on Ometepe, an idyllic island where at any point you look up to find two looming volcanoes within a freshwater lake. It’s considered the pearl of Nicaragua. Mark Twain has been known to write of it and a couple years ago it was shortlisted for the seven great wonders of the world. It is essentially a little slice of paradise. But, on the other hand, this paradise falls short of providing many opportunities for youth to plan their futures. Employment opportunities that allow islanders to stay on the island are hard to come by.

With the brightest students, you often see that a “brain drain” syndrome is ever present. Usually if youth come from families with resources they will study in the university in the capital, pick a career that makes it hard to find work on the island, and are forced to stay in the capital to find employment. I was proud to see many of my last year’s high school seniors go on to study advanced careers, but the reality is—how many dentists do you need on a rural island when dental care is still viewed as a luxury? For those that do not or cannot choose higher education, employment is still a challenge. Last year when I asked a young woman what she would do following high school, she told me that she would most likely emigrate to Costa Rica to find work. Many feel that more opportunities lie abroad than in Nicaragua.

Hopefully, as the economy shifts from agriculture to tourism, the diversity will bring more opportunity and islanders will realize the necessity to focus on the training of trades. With tourism, there is a need for some push from government and educational institutions for programs like business education and English training. With sustainable employment opportunities, more islanders will be able to stay closer to home while also allowing tourism to develop in a sustainable manner where the benefit is felt in more island communities.

Girasol Members in Ometepe, Nicaragua
Girasol Members in Ometepe, Nicaragua

A recent donation of six sewing machines by Pedals for Progress has helped to improve the lives of one particular group of women, Girasol Sewing Cooperative. (A girasol is a sunflower in Spanish). This sewing cooperative on the Island of Ometepe was started to provide an opportunity to learn the trade of sewing to improve their personal economic situation as well as that of their families and community. Sewing provides an income-generating activity for the women of the community of Balgüe, where employment opportunities for women are virtually non-existent.

Creating a self-sustaining sewing cooperative on an island can be difficult, as resources like sewing machines and materials still have to be imported by boat. This in turn drives up the prices of basic goods like school uniforms. However, what is beautiful about the Nicaraguan entrepreneurial spirit is that these women can view opportunities when many others view challenges. For Girasol, these challenges bring opportunities as tourism grows, and there is opportunity to break into a market where the majority of souvenirs come from the off-island departments of Masaya or Granada.

In March of 2012, these women were sitting in a classroom as we reviewed what a basic fraction and decimal were, as none of them were able to finish high school due to circumstances beyond their control. At the same time, the women participated in sewing classes led by the designer Kim Farrugia and began laying the foundation for their very own sewing workshop. Currently, in a little over a year, they have begun selling in multiple locations on the island and preparing their first international orders.

Pedals for Progress has continued to lend a helping hand promoting economic development in Nicaragua as well as many other countries around the world. It is notable what a couple hundred cordobas extra a month can do for a women. However, less talked about and equally important is the role of this cooperative in the personal lives of these women. The majority of these women are single mothers and have also never had the opportunity in their lives to earn a peso for themselves. Many still have to ask permission from their spouses to buy basic household necessities like toilet paper. With learning the trade of sewing, these women are allowed to see the potential of their own two hands, develop their creativity in a society that does not always nourish it, and understand the pride that comes from being able to contribute a small income to their families.

With P4P’s donation, the current cooperative will be able to formalize. More importantly, these sunflowers will be able to grow. With the new machines, there are plans to hold a new sewing course and to allow new women to be incorporated into the group as it expands. This means more women within the community are given a reason to get out of the house to go to triweekly meetings reminding them that they are strong, creative, and smart women. This is women’s empowerment, and it would not have been possible without the help of P4P.

Pedals for Progress has improved the quality of life for many Nicaraguans in the department of Rivas, with currently over 22,500 bicycles donated. In addition, P4P’s new partnership with Girasol Sewing Cooperative and donation of sewing machines has helped to lay a foundation for sustainable economic development on the island of Ometepe. Girasol’s transition from a project to a sustainable, independent business would have been difficult without the help of David Schweidenback, his team, and the contributions from Pedals for Progress’s supporters.

Noelle London
Peace Corps Nicaragua
Small Business Development 56
London.noelle@gmail.com

bicycles, Nicaragua, Peace Corps, Sewing Partners

52nd Container to Rivas

May 18th, 2013, marked the shipment of the 52nd container of bicycles to EcoBici in Rivas, Nicaragua. Our relationship with this organization is the longest in our 23 years of partnership building. This current delivery contains 580 bikes that add to the 22,044 cycles already in circulation in the region and will contribute to the organization’s goal of community development and focus on enabling much-needed reforestation in the region.

P1030868P4P is also pleased to add 6 sewing machines to the container shipment. Our readers are of course already familiar with the Clif Bar Family Foundation’s steady and generous support of our programs and so it is not unexpected that the shipping and import taxes have been covered by them. What is new here is that the sewing machines are destined for a different locale in the region. In April, we were contacted by Noelle London, a Peace Corps volunteer who is involved in small business development in Nicaragua. London wrote that she lives on Ometepe, an island close to Rivas. This island, situated on Lake Nicaragua, is steadily becoming a tourist destination and she informed us that, currently, most of the souvenirs visitors purchase there tend to be made in Granada or Masaya.

London informed us that, with reliable and efficient tools, the local women could develop a thriving base of manufacture in their community of Balgüe: “They have begun to sell in a couple of locations on the island and even in a fair in Managua but are unable to keep up with the current demand as they only have 3 working machines.”

942817_168081573356090_1040016389_n
This region is ideal for building a tourist trade in local crafts as there are many attractions to draw steady crowds yearly. The beaches on the island of Ometepe are black volcanic sand, and the lake, long separated from the ocean by an earthquake, is an ideal location to observe the many species who have adapted to this environment. Lake Nicaragua is the only lake in the world with very large freshwater sharks. Tours of the island include trips to Altagracia and its Pre-Columbian stone statues and to Magdalena Farm in Balgüe where organic coffee is grown. It is a lush land with fertile soil fed from the Volcano Maderas.

London included this statement in her e-mail to us: “I have normally been the one to shy [local women] away from donations, as they have to eventually [establish] a fully sustainable business as opposed to a project. However, after working with them on productivity countless times, I have come to understand that they simply lack the sufficient resources to really take off.” What stands out to us at P4P is London’s very realistic take on the development of self sufficiency. Charity does not build business infrastructure. Long-term goals, reliable tools, and ongoing training programs are the only hope for people in places like Ometepe to foil the existence of questionably sourced “authentic” souvenirs of their own region and take control of the industry for themselves. This is a beneficial situation for visitors of the region as well, of course. Value is added to the experience of visiting a country where the textiles and other mementos are made by local people and cooperatives. Even better if a visit to the places of manufacture are part of a tour itinerary.

“It has been a pleasure to work with these motivated and talented women. They have dealt with countless obstacles and have continued to fight to keep their business afloat,” states London. P4P is very happy to see the contents of one container contribute to an old reliable partnership in Rivas and a new and promising one on Ometepe.

Peace Corps, Sewing Partners, St. Vincent

From Iowa to St. Vincent

A Peace Corps Volunteer Brings more than Good Will to an Island School
by Patricia Hamill
Winter 2011 InGear

As you may have read on our web site, we received a wonderful letter from Peace Corps volunteer Liz Deppe thanking us for making it possible for the school where she teaches to acquire 20 sewing machines. Located on the island of St. Vincent, the Barrouallie Secondary School (BSS) is the fortunate institution to welcome Liz and, hence, receive the machines. Originally from Ames, Iowa, Liz has only been in St. Vincent for 8 months as an assistant to the teachers in the art and reading courses; however, in that short time, she has made an enormous difference. Having known about P4P from our work in Iowa, she decided to contact us about donations of sewing machines to incorporate into the curriculum.

What can they do for employment without this skill? While banana production has dominated the economy, the government has been seeking ways of diversifying so that Vincentians do not continue to be vulnerable to price fluctuations and crop diseases. Tourism is an industry that has grown widely, but not everyone is able to profit from this type of expansion. This is where the importance of a solid education backed up by practical vocational skills comes into our story. According to Liz, “That first project and many more projects the students at BSS will work on are teaching them more than just how to sew. They are learning patience, creativity, problem-solving skills and a sense of accomplishment.”

While the machines are not used for production but strictly for classroom learning, there is hope that more machines can be acquired so that families may be able to purchase them and begin their own businesses. At the very least, the students have a marketable skill to offer alongside the knowledge they gain from their studies. Liz has witnessed firsthand the lasting effect that tangible results from focused effort provide: “What I believe is the most rewarding part of our newly created sewing program is a sense of accomplishment. At a school with little resources and many struggling students, it is amazing to watch a student who has never felt proud show you what they have accomplished. Their face beams as they hold up the finished product, something they can use and show off.”

It is part of our mission to do the utmost to send our shipments as economically as possible while striving to get the sewing machines and bikes out to those in need as quickly as possible. P4P was able to ensure that the sewing machines could make it to the school and with as little financial burden as possible by sending them via sea rather than air. The cost was demonstrably lower at $10 apiece. If all goes well, we may be able to continue this relationship not only with the school but also expand to other institutions on the island. It is Peace Corps Volunteers like Liz and people like our partners and contributors who think progressively, initiate programs, and give support that make our efforts so successful.

bicycles, Collectors, Peace Corps

Long Island Gives Back

by Bette Bass
Summer 2011 InGear

Long Island RPCVs at work on April 16th, 2011
Long Island RPCVs at work on April 16th, 2011

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island began over 20 years ago as a way to meet and reconnect with other former Peace Corps volunteers, and for the first few years was primarily social. Every year we would set aside a portion of our dues to contribute to a worthy cause. After awhile we decided that we wanted to do more. At that time, one of our members, Kathy Williams Ging, heard about Pedals through an RPCV friend who lived in New Jersey. In October of 2003, due to efforts by Kathy and Charles Bevington, we had our first collection in Hicksville, at a location that was supplied by Brian Richardson. We got to meet Dave and successfully collected 33 bikes. At our annual business meeting later that fall, we decided to make this an annual group effort. After deciding to switch our collections to the spring, we had our next collection in April, 2005. It has become an important part of our group’s activities every year since.

Over the years we’ve supplied 892 bikes and about 10 sewing machines, and enough money to cover the $10 per bike cost, usually with an additional cash donation. Many of us have been involved throughout this journey. Kathy Williams Ging, Linda Restaino Merola, Tom Montalbano, Charles Bevington and I (Bette Bass) have been coordinators through the years. We’ve held collections in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, so that more people can be involved, and we can have a larger pool of potential bikes. We have used parking lots all over Long Island, including Hauppauge Middle School, the Massapequa Public Library, a bank in Huntington, a sailing association in Sayville, a Temple in Port Washington, and a bicycle shop in Rocky Point.

We have partnered with other organizations as well: Hauppauge Middle School, in Hauppauge NY, provided a space and held cookie sales and other fund raisers for two years. Linda Restaino Merola was instrumental in obtaining the space for us. We collected so many bikes at our Huntington bank location that Linda and her husband Lou Merola stored about 30 bikes at their house overnight since they didn’t all fit on the Pedals truck. The Wet Pants Sailing Association Juniors, of Sayville, came out in force one year under Tom Montalbano’s lead—this was probably our most scenic spot, right on the water in Sayville. Last year, as part of their Mitzvah Sunday, we partnered with several Temples in Port Washington. Jerry and Nancy Federlein, both LIRPCV members, coordinated the Mitzvah Sunday. This year, Rocky Point Cycle, in Rocky Point, supplied our space. They also accepted bikes before the collection date. Lyn Dobrin, of Lyn Dobrin Ink, another LIRPCV member, has handled all of our publicity, and we have had numerous newspaper articles, radio announcements, and this year, an appearance on an NBC cable news show with Chuck Scarborough.

Over the years, we have come to regard Pedals as our own. Some of us have purchased our own tools to process bikes. Many of us have made mini collections, driving around the area picking up bikes and donations as we go. Tim Ging, Larry Hohler, Linda and Lou Merola, Tom Montalbano,and Jerry and Nancy Federlein, Bill Reed and Mary Watros have done this almost every year. Jennifer Monahan and Michael Kretschsmann have rented a small truck and brought 10 to 12 bikes and a few sewing machines a year from the East End. This has given us access to even more people and bikes. I (Bette Bass) discovered a real talent for making sure people give their $10 per bike. I enjoy explaining why it’s so important for everyone to donate. My favorite activity is using the photos Pedals sends to show children who are donating a bike just why it’s so important and how much difference it makes to other children. I feel that we’re starting a new generation of caring, giving people. As individuals, Pedals has really struck an emotional chord with each of us. We all, whether we returned 45 years ago or last week, know that transportation is one of the keys to having a better life all over the globe. Most of us were in rural areas where there are very few cars, and buses are a sometime thing. The time and effort put into just getting from one place to another takes a toll on the whole family. The addition of sewing machines to our collections was very welcome—providing someone the means to earn a living is a wonderful gift. The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island is already planning for our next collection in April, 2012.

Happy 20th anniversary to Pedals for Progress, as we celebrate Peace Corps 50th Anniversary as well!!

Peace Corps, Sewing Partners, St. Vincent

From Iowa to St. Vincent: A Peace Corps Volunteer Brings more than Good Will to an Island School

By Patricia Hamill

115

As you may have read on our web site, we received a wonderful letter from Peace Corps volunteer Liz Deppe thanking us for making it possible for the school where she teaches to acquire 20 sewing machines. Located on the island of St. Vincent, the Barrouallie Secondary School (BSS) is the fortunate institution to welcome Liz and, hence, receive the machines. Originally from Ames Iowa, Liz has only been in St. Vincent for 8 months as an assistant to the teachers in the art and reading courses; however, in that short time, she has made an enormous difference. Having known about P4P from our work in Iowa, she decided to contact us about donations of sewing machines to incorporate into the curriculum. What can they do for employment without this skill? While banana production has dominated the economy, the government has been seeking ways of diversifying so that Vincentians do not continue to be vulnerable to price fluctuations and crop diseases. Tourism is an industry that has grown widely, but not everyone is able to profit from this type of expansion. This is where the importance of a solid education backed up by practical vocational skills comes into our story. According to Liz, “[t]hat first project and many more projects the students at BSS will work on are teaching them more than just how to sew. They are learning patience, creativity, problem-solving skills and a sense of accomplishment.” While the machines are not used for production but strictly classroom learning, there is hope that more machines can be acquired so that families may be able to purchase them and begin their own businesses. At the very least, the students have a marketable skill to offer alongside the knowledge they gain from their studies.

Liz has witnessed firsthand the lasting effect that tangible results from focused effort provide: “What I believe is the most rewarding part of our newly created sewing program is a sense of accomplishment. At a school with little resources and many struggling students, it is amazing to watch a student, who has never felt proud, show you what they have accomplished. Their face beams as they hold up the finished product, something they can use and show off.” It is part of our mission to do the utmost to send our shipments as economically as possible while striving to get the sewing machines and bikes out to those in need as quickly as possible. P4P was able to ensure that the sewing machines could make it to the school and with as little financial burden as possible by sending them via sea rather than air. The cost was demonstrably lower at $10 per piece. If all goes well, we may be able to continue this relationship not only with the school but also expand to other institutions on the island. It is Peace Corps Volunteers like Liz and people like our partners and contributors who think progressively, initiate programs, and give support that make our efforts so successful.

Kyrgyzstan, Peace Corps, Sewing Partners

Good News from Kyrgyzstan!

When we initiated new programs we very diligently investigate our potential new partner. The 1st obvious reason is to select the best partners overseas. The 2nd reason is we realize, especially with sewing machine programs, we have very little ability to monitor many of these far-flung programs. In fact, to monitor the program is often more expensive than supplying the program. We have a basic understanding at P4P that we do not send gringos overseas. The material we ship is appropriate technology, they do not need technical support from us. We are much more effective using our limited funding for shipping as much material as possible.

Longtime readers of our web site and newsletters will probably remember in 2008 with some assistance from the Clif Bar Family Foundation we sent a consignment of sewing machines to a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is one of those geographical locations that we don’t happen to pass by often. When PCV Roberto left Kyrgyzstan, we lost contact with the sewing machine program.

I never lost faith that the sewing machine project in Cholpon-Ata could be successful, I just knew that I had no way to find out. I was so pleased this weekend to receive the following e-mail and photographs.

David,
I’m happy to report the sewing cooperative is functioning as both a producer of linens and a training center unemployed women who are interested in taking up sewing. The Peace Corps volunteer there forwarded me some new up-to-date pictures. Rob

Even though sometimes I do not get the story and photographs back quickly, to the community the bicycles and sewing machines we ship are so vitally important that they are made use of. To those of you who donated funding and or sewing machines in 2008, thank you from our staff and the employed women of Cholpon-Ata.

Dave Schweidenback

bicycles, Moldova, Peace Corps

The Man Who Fits the Bikes

by Andrei Rusanovschi
Fall 2005 InGear

He started repairing old Soviet bikes in his apartment to earn money for food. He built up his skill of talent and sweat. Bikes have changed his way of life and he changed the way bikes run across Stefan Voda and, ultimately, across Moldova.

Stefan Voda is a small city, situated not far from the Black Sea, and not too far from the capital of the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau, but far enough to have its unique salt and quietness.

Since ’91, after the fall of Soviet Union, many aspects of Moldova’s infrastructure were ruined, including the roads and public services.

Stefan Voda’s public transport system has never been petted; by anybody. The system has simply never existed. That is why bikes play such an important role in connecting the so-called private sector with the center of the town.

In Stefan Voda the bike shop is in the building of the Maria Biesu School of Arts. Walking down the steps to the shop one senses little by little the smell of rubber. The smell has already became characteristic and is readily associated with bikes — no other place in Stefan Voda has that many and such a big variety of them. Everyone knows “if you want good bikes at good prices, go the store in the basement.”

The bike shop, once a messy and unorganized place, now looks like it found a master. The room that once was too small to house two hundred bikes is now transformed into a neat bike store and a fitting shop, accommodating four hundred plus bikes of different sizes, models and function.fall2005moldovaBikeMechanic

When you enter the shop you see an energetic guy, always busy with fitting the bikes and making the place better. He even makes his own bike stands, inventing modifications, building bikes virtually from nothing. In comparison, it is quite simple to prep bikes in such good condition as those from Pedals for Progress.

To a big extent, it is due to Valeriu that the Moldova #3 project became possible, or at least potentially viable, says Vitalie Rusanovschi, director of Center Rural21, the NGO that administers the project in Moldova.

Valeriu started repairing bikes in his small one-bedroom apartment. “I never thought I would deal with bicycles on the professional level,” says Valeriu. “I just liked riding them when I was little. And, as a kid, I always liked to see what’s inside.”

After the Army I had to choose what direction to take, says Valeriu. I decided to go further with my education and studied automobiles. While studying in Chisinau, fate brought me together with a bike service center. This is when I began to study the subtleties of bike mechanics.

Now he works with Center Rural21, the regional NGO promoting democracy, healthy life style and sustainable development. The Pedals for Progress project is running in Moldova for the third time. The previous two shipments made essential improvements to the public transport infrastructure. It is readily visible when coming to the town.

“I could instantly see that Stefan Voda is now much better equipped with bikes than ever before,” says Mark Skelton, the Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova who was the first to contact Pedals for Progress in 2002, arranging for the first shipment of bikes from the USA. Mark visited Stefan Voda during the second week of August 2005. It had been two years since he finished his duty in Moldova with Peace Corps.

“I am impressed how Valeriu has organized his workplace,” says Mark. “It is neat and well structured, and it seems he improves it every second,” says Mark after a half-day visit to the bike store.

“The best gratitude for me would be the bike I fit to never come back for repair,” says Valeriu. “I will just welcome them at least once a year for maintenance work.”

The Pedals for Progress project proved to be sustainable and a long-lasting relationship, and with Valeriu Soloviov responsible for the fitting process, we will fill Moldova up with reliable, environment-friendly means of transport — bicycles, said Center Rural21 director, Vitalie Rusanovschi.

bicycles, Moldova, Peace Corps

A Second Program Opens in Moldova

by Darren Enterline, Peace Corps Volunteer
Fall 2009 InGear

Few people outside of Europe have ever heard of the Republic of Moldova. What those few usually do know is that the former Soviet Republic has the dubious distinction of consistently being the poorest nation in Europe. While many of the former Soviet-controlled states have thrived as independent democracies, Moldova has never been able to progress out of the political chaos of the early 1990s and the economic crises that followed. In 2008 the United Nations Human Development Report ranked Moldova 113th out of 179 nations, between Mongolia and Vietnam.

fall2009bike2

The failure of the Moldovan government to transition from a communist Soviet Republic to an independent capitalist democracy means that much of the population currently lives in poverty. While the capital, Chisinau, and larger cities have recently shown signs of economic recovery, the countryside still suffers greatly. The rural village where Pedals for Progress’s partner organization is located is no exception. Pelinia, never a wealthy village, once supported industries such as brick manufacturing and food canning until the collapse of the Soviet Union. The ensuing privatization of state industries brought an end to those enterprises that couldn’t survive the new market economy. Today, most villagers in Pelinia support themselves by farming the small plots of land given to them after the collective Soviet farms were privatized in 1996. Many depend solely on these plots, approximately 4 to 10 acres, for both their food and income. Oftentimes, these plots are several kilometers outside the village forcing villagers to use valuable time travelling to and from their land. To make matters worse, the roads used to reach the plots are unpaved and deeply rutted, making it slow going for the ancient cars and horse carts that use them.

Because so many people are involved in small-scale, low-income farming, the local government is chronically underfunded and unable to provide even the most basic services. Few houses have running water, making it necessary for many to walk to public wells to retrieve their water. Gas is also only available to a few households and is too expensive for many to use. Those that can’t afford to buy wood or coal must travel outside the village to collect their own wood in order to heat their homes during the winter. Although Pelinia is a large village of over 8000 inhabitants, it is too small to offer public transportation. Villagers must provide their own means to travel to stores, markets and schools on roads that are not much better than the ones outside of the village. Basically, the villagers of Pelinia endure the same difficulties that impoverished people all over the world endure.

fall2009adultBikeWhile these hardships are debilitating, they are not impossible to overcome and Pedals for Progress offers one of the best ways to assist the villagers of Pelinia. Consult-Nord, a local Moldovan NGO established to promote local economic development in Pelinia, saw the potential results that Pedals for Progress’s bicycles could provide and requested to become a partner. Consult-Nord started selling bicycles this winter after receiving a shipment in late December of last year. The good quality, affordable bicycles now available at a shop set up by Consult-Nord offer numerous opportunities to villagers that otherwise would be inaccessible to them. With a bicycle, farmers can efficiently travel to their fields and more easily transport their crops and tools. Villagers can collect water and firewood with less effort. Students can arrive at school with more energy and villagers can independently travel throughout the village. A great example of how bicycles can help the villagers of Pelinia comes from Constant Surcanu. He is a 53-year-old farmer who regularly travels outside the village to work on his land. He bought a bicycle so he can reach his fields with more time to spare and so that he can also visit his relatives living throughout the village. He told us that he especially appreciates his bicycle’s wide, sturdy tires that can handle the demanding village roads. Another satisfied customer is Oleg Cerban. He is a 13-year-old student at the local middle school who bought a mountain bike so he could use it to get to school, to go on errands around the village for his family, and, of course, to visit his friends. These two examples show a few ways how bicycles can help the people of Pelinia. Simply put, bicycles in Pelinia provide what they provide to people all over the developing world, a simple means to independently better their lives.

Peace Corps, Sewing Partners, St. Vincent

Thank you David & Pedals for Progress!

by Liz Deppe

The gracious donation of 20 sewing machines from P4P to the Barrouallie Secondary School in St. Vincent has opened many doors for many students. We have been able to integrate sewing into the school art curriculum, which allows students to learn a new skill which they can carry through their entire lives. Although the program has just started, it is obvious that many students will use and grow their sewing skills as time goes on, it may even (hopefully!) open job opportunities for some.

We have also been able to use the sewing machines in extra curricular settings. The younger students have enjoyed making projects during 4H. They not only learned how to sew, but created various projects out of fused plastic bags, learning the value of recycling. This was the first project we did using the sewing machines with the younger students and it was a great success. The machines were also used at a summer camp, where the campers created bags out of old flour sacks once again learning sewing skills and the values of recycling.

I cannot begin to thank David and P4P for the kind generosity. The students’ excitement and eagerness has guided our program to a wonderful start. I cannot wait to see how it grows! Thank you David & Pedals for Progress!

Liz Deppe
U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
2011-2013