By Absolute Bike Tirana
Fall 2023 Newsletter
[Editor’s note: This fall on October 21st 2023, we sent our first shipment to a new program, Absolute Bike Tirana, marking our 18th shipment to the region. Absolute Bike Tirana is a charitable minded bike shop founded by Valjon Pacani and Ervin Sulovari in 2019. I had the pleasure to meet Ervin when I visited Albania in August 2021, where he had spent over fifteen years with our previous partner, Ecovolis. Collaborating with Absolute Bikes Tirana was a no brainer when Valjon reached out about his new endeavor earlier this year.
Beyond the friendly faces, Absolute Bike is a more traditional bike shop, similar to how our partners FIDESMA operate in Guatemala. A brick-and-mortar bike shop has the capacity to make a lot of progress in an area. Having a physical storefront to supply bikes to the community creates a home base for cyclists and everyday commuters. By providing Absolute Bike with a wide range of bicycles, they can sell affordable bikes to individuals in lower income levels and name brand or specialty bikes to those who can afford them around the large city. This is a key P4P pillar as it eases our goal of establishing economic stability with an emphasis on sustainability for years to come. Absolute Bike will receive a range of quality items, enabling them to employ people in their bike shops, supply community members with affordable, environmentally friendly transportation, and also provide themselves with funding for their charitable causes and programs.
We are extremely pleased to resume shipping to Albania after a brief pause. Eastern Europe and the Balkans are under exacerbated economic strain due to world events and increased inflation. We are proud to be able to contribute tools of personal empowerment to the region giving a helping hand to folks in need.
Here is some more background information about Absolute Bike, their youthful energy, and what they aim to achieve.]
History of Absolute Bike Tirana
Absolute Bike Tirana is a program that aims to contribute sustainably to community development. It was established in 2019 by the leader Valjon Pacani and his collaborator Ervin Sulovari, after a 15-year experience in various organizations where they received awards and recognition for their maximum contributions to various social and environmental issues. The main mission is engagement and dedication to this decision-making, working in partnership with people to build a sustainable, healthy, and active community. Its goal is to provide our city with clean air by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. It is a symbol of hope and also a means to preserve nature, from which our city can benefit.
Absolute Bike Tirana, Aim and Objectives
Absolute Bike Tirana aims to raise awareness and assist the needs of residents seeking access to transportation. It is an effort to increase social, ecological, and economic responsibility. Absolute Bike Tirana aims to promote eco-friendly transportation through bicycles, providing our city with cleaner air and adopting a civil and European practice. We believe in community-based programs, where the Foundation collaborates with local people to improve lives. By keeping the programs small and manageable, we monitor expenses in detail and ensure that funds are focused on priority needs.
Absolute Bike Tirana aims to address the transportation needs of rural and urban communities, enhancing societal awareness, responsibility, and environmental concerns. Specifically, Absolute Bike Tirana’s mission is to establish a community-based and community-supported economically sustainable model that provides quality consumer-oriented transportation services, catering to both urban and rural residents.
In the urban context, bike lanes can offer numerous benefits to the community. More and more cities are seeking ways to reduce overpopulation while also improving the environment, turning to bicycles. This means that vehicles and pedestrians won’t have to speculate on how cyclists will navigate roads or sidewalks. Absolute Bike Tirana’s bicycles provide access from the city’s outskirts to the urban center for those at risk of social and economic isolation.
Key Success Factors / Strengths:
- The initiative heavily relies on volunteers, strengthening the community aspect of Absolute Bike Tirana.
- It also employs financially disadvantaged individuals, contributing to social inclusion and economic support.
Activities Developed so Far
In 2021, Absolute Bike Tirana collaborated with the Municipality of Tirana and the National Youth Agency to create a partnership and became part of the Student Card initiative. The goal of the Student Card is to ease the economic burden on students in relation to their high expenses. For every individual who enjoys student status and is equipped with a student card, they receive a 10% discount on all the services offered by Absolute Bike Tirana. Our focus is on students, who inspire us every day with their participation in our store. The trust they have in us motivates us to continuously strive for even better things.
During the “Donate a Bike” campaign in collaboration with the Municipality of Tirana, we had the opportunity to donate a bicycle to a very positive 10-year-old boy who was suffering from a severe illness called hemiparesis, affecting the left side of his body. The bicycle was the only thing that kept him moving and helped him in his fight. Due to financial constraints, he couldn’t afford to buy one. Absolute Bike Tirana, along with its volunteers, made the donation of the bicycle possible, making him happier and giving us hope and motivation for many other cases.
During the “Donate a Bike” campaign, Absolute Bike Tirana continued its mission by joining the initiative to show solidarity with more citizens. The individual we chose to assist was an exemplary citizen around 60 years old. Berti used to cycle over 10 kilometers every day to get to work. The house where he lived was in a peripheral area with no public transportation. Alongside our volunteer Ervin, we engaged and selected a comfortable bicycle suitable for his age, making his work easier and bringing a smile to his face.
During the “Donate a Bike” campaign, the citizen we chose to continue our initiative with was Osmani, a 20-year-old young man who was very well-educated. Osmani was continuing his studies, but difficult economic conditions forced him to work in his free time at a supermarket as a shelf organizer. His family was not in good health and economic circumstances to provide for the needs a child of his age proved to be difficult. Osmani tearfully told us the story of his life and the genetic condition he inherited from his mother, called ‘middle ear,’ making it difficult for him to travel to work as the house was somewhat far away. We listened attentively and did not hesitate to help. We gifted him a comfortable bicycle and also offered free servicing for any repairs the bicycle might need. After a few weeks, Osmani visited our store and seemed very happy. He explained how much we had eased his work and shortened the distance from home to work, but also made his journey to school easier since he commuted by bicycle every day.
Osmani was asking us about how we operate, and his great desire was to join us as a volunteer and contribute to our activities, making other people happy as well. This was certainly our wish too, as we gained a new young activist, motivating us even more for the work we do.
Absolute Bike Tirana, in collaboration with the youth of the “Exploringwithgysi” association, organized a one-day action where we participated in their adventures towards breathtaking destinations, creating unforgettable memories. We are in love with nature and its beauties, and without a doubt, we chose to be part of this organization by providing 20 bicycles for all the present activists at no cost.
The aim of this activity was to explore “Lake of Bovilla” by visiting the main attractions of rural Tirana. Undoubtedly, the main objective of the Absolute Bike Tirana team and the activists was to raise awareness and participate in a cleaning campaign where people come together and organize for a cleaner and more responsible community.
Anyone who shirks responsibility by polluting, allowing pollution, or not reacting, doesn’t gain but loses! We all have the right to live in a healthy environment, but we must cooperate for this. We showed that we lack neither desire, nor will, nor energy to clean it, to protect it, and to develop our city!
Last but not least, here is a one-minute 50-second video of what happened to 3 bikes from Absolute Bike Tirana.