All posts by Michael Sabrio

Collectors

2021 collection sponsors

Summer 2021 Newsletter

Bernardsville United Methodist Church
Chester County Solid Waste Authority
Colts Neck Reformed Church
Delmar Reformed Church
Fair Lawn Rotary Club
Faith Lutheran Church
Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Eddie Kelly
Long Island Returned Peace Corp Volunteers
Aidan Montalbine
Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority
New Dover United Methodist Church
Newtown Rotary Club
Odessa-Middletown Rotary
Passaic County Office of Solid Waste & Recycling
Rotary Club of Branchburg
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Youth Group
St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church
Totowa Public Library
Vineland Rotary

bicycles, Kosovo

covid-19 crisis in kosovo

GoBike
Summer 2021 Newsletter

The Coronavirus pandemic found Kosovo unprepared, as was the case with most countries of the world. For a considerable part of 2020 the whole country was in lockdown. Following the peak of cases in late 2020 and early 2021, infections have steadily declined since early April 2021. As of late June 2021, there have been 107K Covid-19 cases in Kosovo, and 2255 deaths.

On 28 March 2021 Kosovo received the very first contingent of 24,000 doses of vaccines through COVAX. Up until then, Kosovo was was the only country in Europe without any vaccines. The vaccination of the population has started and is progressing slowly. By the end of this year we hope everyone will have a chance to get vaccinated.

The Impact of the Pandemic on GoBike

Partnering with Pedals for Progress has been crucial to getting the GoBike social enterprise going. Through our partnership we have managed to set up the enterprise, sell bicycles to beneficiaries from all walks of life, organize cycling events, and teach people how to ride a bike. Despite the initial success in 2018 and 2019 with the first container of bicycles, a year and a half later the pandemic forced us to cancel our work completely, as ordered by the Government of Kosovo. We have been closed for the entire 2020 season. Receiving the second container from Pedals for Progress had also to be put on hold.

In October 2020 GoBike teamed up yet again with AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’ to organize “Cycling Schools” to teach even more kids in Pristina how to ride a bike. Cycling Schools were quite popular and sought after. One can never have enough of such events, as the demand is high, particularly amongst children.

The Cycling Schools took place in the Dardania elementary school yard in Pristina. They were free of charge. In the past, the motivation of GoBike to organize such activities had been to contribute to the growing of the cycling community of Pristina; help young girls and boys grow independent; provide a cycling experience to the adults who have never experienced cycling before; and reduce carbon emissions into the air by promoting cycling as a more sustainable way of transport. This time, we had an additional reason. Through cycling schools we wanted to work with as many people as possible who have spent a lot of their time indoors without much physical activity, and get them back to bicycles and an active lifestyle —very important for their health and wellbeing.

We hope that normality will be restored soon. At GoBike, we hope to be able to resume our work and receive a new container of bicycles from P4P.  This should provide us with sufficient stimulation to pick the work right where we left off.

bicycles

a kid with a bike in wwII

By Neal Oussoren
Summer 2021 Newsletter

[Editor’s note: We don’t usually hear about European kids using bikes as a primary means of transportation, but we got this story from P4P supporter Neal Oussoren. He wrote us a note that mentioned an interesting experience with a bike in World War II. I spoke with Neal by phone. Here is what he told me.]

I was born in 1934 in Middelburg, in the Zeeland province in the southwestern Netherlands. I was oldest of 5 children. My father was a minister. We lived in a house next to his church.

Middelburg, Zeeland, Netherlands, May or June 1940Middelburg was occupied by the German army in 1940 in the Battle of Zeeland. Much of the old town was destroyed.

Staples became scarce. Food was rationed. We had coupons that specified what we were entitled to per week. We spread soft white cheese on bread. After the war I remember aid from the US: clothes, shoes, food, including peanut butter.

Though some foods were in short supply, my father had lots of contacts in the community. He knew several farmers who lived within a few kilometers of town. We did not have a car. It would not be easy to get food from the farms on foot; it would be much easier on a bike.

In 1941 my father bought a bicycle. You braked by pressing your shoe against the front wheel. The Germans were confiscating bikes at the time, so my father replaced the front wheel with a much smaller wheel, from a scooter, to make the bike less likely to be confiscated. Also, the Germans were less likely to take a bike from a 10-year-old. My father attached wooden blocks to the pedals so I could reach them.

My job was to visit several farms outside town. I picked up milk and bread year-round, vegetables in the growing season. During the school year I left home by 7 a.m. so I could be back by 8 to go to school. I rode about 7 miles to do my pickups.

I carried the milk and vegetables in containers on the bike. The back of the bike was piled so high I could not swing my leg over the vegetables, so I had to step over the top tube.

On one of my trips a German truck cut a corner too close. I forgot about the bag on the back of the bike, so when I tried to swing my leg over I crashed and got knocked out. I came to and made it home OK.

On another trip, I noticed that Dutch collaborators, members of the NSB party, were confiscating milk on a bridge on my usual route. I warned others. One of my friends told me that he could help me get across the river at a nearby concrete factory. I picked up the milk and rode to the factory, where my friend rowed me, my bike, and the milk across the river. I took a different route back to the city to avoid the collaborators.

I’ve lived in the US since 1951, but my wartime memories are vivid. The bike was a godsend.

bicycles, Vietnam

yen nhi, vietnam, 2021

By Nguyen Van Hanh, General Manager, Dariu Foundation
Summer 2021 Newsletter

Yen Nhi, 15 years old, was born into a poor family. Nhi is the eldest of 5 children in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, 180 km west of Ho Chi Minh city. Her mother has some serious health problems and she has been using a wheel-chair for a long time. The family’s income has largely depended on the noodle-for-breakfast business with monthly income of around $170. This could hardly help the family make both ends meet.

When Nhi was in 7th grade, she told her parents that she had no longer wanted to go to school because she thought that they could not afford her secondary and high-school education. Her parents had been undecided between paying her school fees or letting her leave school. Luckily, they finally decided that she had to continue her education, hoping that she could have a better future.

As compared to her peers, Nhi is a strong girl at her age. Every morning, she supported her father with simple tasks at the noodle-for-breakfast business from 6:00 am to around 10:00 am. Then her father rushed to his other jobs or to buy materials at the local market for the next day’s business. She helped prepare lunch for the family and then left for school at about noon, since her classes started at 12:30 and it took her about 20–25 minutes to walk there. Nhi had several good friends, so they often picked her up with their bicycles. But when they could not come, Nhi had to walk. It was a hard walk for her, especially during sunny and rainy days.

In 2020, Nhi was referred by her teacher who knew about Dariu’s bicycle-granting program. She was granted with a bicycle from Pedals for Progress and a little financial support from The Dariu Foundation. Thanks to P4P’s bicycle, Nhi could go to school much more easily. As a result, her GPA increased from 7.5 (before being granted a bicycle) to 9.2 and she was nominated as the best student of the school year 2020–2021 at her school. Nhi graduated from secondary school in May 2021, and will start high school in this September. Although the new high school is further from home than the secondary school, Nhi is determined to complete her high school education and expects to enter university as an IT student.

Yen Nhi is among the more than 2,000 beneficiaries who, since 2012, have been granted P4P used bikes by The Dariu Foundation. The cooperation between the two organizations has enabled hundreds of poor kids in Vietnam and Thailand to continue their education with ease and prepare for a better future.

Cameroon, Sewing Partners

new training program in cameroon, summer 2021

By Clovert Mbenja
Summer 2021 Newsletter

Rising Hope Foundation for Change, in partnership with Sewing Peace, is implementing a program aimed at training vulnerable women and teenage girls in sewing, fashion, and design in Cameroon. This training program will empower these women with life skills such as tailoring, professional sewing, fashion and design, sewing machine repair, and basic computer knowledge. They will learn how to run tailoring businesses from their homes. Though women and girls at the entry point of the program may be unskilled, they will leave with a means to earn a livelihood, become trainers, and provide for their own families’ sewing needs. This program will promote and create female entrepreneurs and generate income.  The program promotes economic self-reliance of women and girls in Cameroon and addresses the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.

The zigzag sewing machines and other accessories sent by SP are very useful: they give a professional touch to the women who learn specialized sewing with different stitches. Some of the women have added new services because of the zigzag machine. At first, they had to travel long distances to use zigzag machines that are costly and unreliable. Now they can work at home or in our Centre.

We have also started a program to make and sell washable (and thus re-usable) sanitary pads to be used instead of the disposable ones. Thus we reduce the impact on the natural environment .

At the end of their training process, our trainees will be able to be either self-employed or hired as part of the team working on the washable sanitary pads.

This will have several benefits for the communities:

  • skills development
  • employment opportunities
  • financial independence
  • unemployment reduction
  • poverty reduction
  • better understanding of the menstrual cycle through the training for sanitary pad production
  • better control of pregnancies
  • better management of resources: options for education, potential for future earnings, and family planning

The Administration Entities in these regions will directly benefit from these programs, furthering their own objectives in terms of public health, social environment, and unemployment rates in the community, the region, and the country as a whole.

It will be a win-win situation for the Government, girls and women, and the community as a whole. Officially, Rising Hope Foundation for Change will launch the program in September 2021.

Success Stories

We gave some basic training to women who can sew but cannot afford a sewing machine. At the end of this 14-day training period, we gave them one sewing machine each. RHFC is excited and proud to bring these stories and thanks from the beneficiaries of the project.

Mami Blessing

I am happy for this gift from Rising Hope Foundation of Change and its partner Sewing Peace. As a widow, I thought the world had forgotten about me. I was surprised when one of my mothers in church told me I was one of the lucky recipients of a sewing machine. I thought it was a joke until the coordinator himself called me to pick it up at the Centre. This machine is going to help me and my small family a lot. The 200 to 300 Francs we earn by patching dresses will help me buy breakfast for my children.

We all are going to improve our skills in sewing since the machine will keep us constantly working on small materials and children’s torn dresses. It is going to help me train my children in learning the art of sewing since we are not going to pay people to teach us again.
I pray that the lord almighty will bless Rising Hope Foundation for Change and their partner immensely.

Mangwi Ndi

As an orphan who has spent more than 25 years in a remote village, I never knew people were so kind until I came to Limbe due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis. My boss introduced me to a matron of an orphanage who has a link with RHFC. That is how, after explaining my situation to the organization, I was lucky enough to get this sewing machine. Getting a machine from people I don’t know and haven’t heard of was a double miracle to me.

I am a seamstress by training but have been working for another person because I could not open a place of my own. This machine I just received will help me open my own shop and teach underprivileged girls and boys how to sew at a very low cost. Having this machine has given me full employment; it will help me earn money to build my future and take care of my needs like rent and family expenses. From my heart I pray the good Lord bless all the people supporting all the efforts of Rising Hope Foundation for Change.

Manka Synthia

I am a single mother with 2 children. I was a farmer before the crisis started. When it became serious I had to stop going to the farm because of insecurity. I was advised by my landlady to learn a skill. She told me tailoring would be good because you can practice it until you are 70 years old. When going to do my hair at the Empowerment Centre of Rising Hope Foundation for Change, I overheard the members talking of the sewing machine program. I pleaded with them to put my name on the list in case they need single suffering mothers. To my great surprise I was called up for my special gift of a sewing machine. The machine will save me the money I was to pay for a new machine. It will help me learn fast since I will be learning at home and at the tailoring workshop. I think I will use the machine very well so that I can hand it down to my children when they grow. In the future I may also open a centre to train other single mothers like me.

Sewing Partners, Uganda

report from uganda, summer 2021

By Mathew Yawe, Executive Director, Mityana Open Troop Foundation
Summer 2021 Newsletter

On behalf of the Mityana Open Troop Foundation, I have compiled a progress report which I wish to present to you.

Mityana Open Troop Foundation (MOTF) is a registered Community Based Organization, with a Vocational Skills Training Centre, which Recruits and trains disadvantaged youths, young girls formerly selling sex for survival, girls expelled from school due to teenage pregnancies, and youths who dropped out of school due to Covid-19. All these youths are trained in sustainable vocational skills. Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to close, the vocational project had a population of over 100 trainees. Unfortunately, by the end of March 2021, the vocational project had an enrollment of 50 trainees!

Since the inception of the Vocational Skills Training project in 2007, a total of over 800 have graduated. Some got employed while others have managed to set up their own shops. Every graduate of our program is given a sewing machine from Sewing Peace, USA. Without equipment, the graduation certificate is no help, as 90% of graduates can’t afford tools.

Students are trained for 2 years in Sewing & Fashion Design, Hair Dressing & Weaving, or Motor Vehicle Mechanics. Every year, there are 3 training terms of 3 months each; for each term the centre recruits whoever wishes to join.

Achievements

  • The organization with the help from Mr. Chris James Eldridge of the UK, managed to fund another shipment of 71 sewing machines from Sewing Peace. The machines arrived at the project and have been put to use by trainees.
  • To help prevent Covid-19, our sewing shop has been producing face masks and selling them at a price lower than our competitors’.
  • In April 2021, the vocational project registered new trainees into non-formal skills training program. These are the youths who have dropped out of formal education as a result of socio-economic effects of Covid-19. Other youths have given birth during the 14-month school closure and can’t go back to their former schools.

Challenges and Limitations!

  • The Covid-19 lockdown of learning institutions has caused a number of students to drop out. Most parents lost jobs, and businesses no longer worked well, so parents could not pay school fees.
  • The prolonged lockdown caused many students to lose hope of returning to school. Many children were idle and moving up and down, which resulted in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Some students got petty jobs where they earned a little money and lost interest in going back to formal education.
  • Because all training institutions have been under lockdown since March 2020, we have lost an entire year of income from school fees.
  • The Organization still encounters challenges in raising funds for shipping sewing Machines from Sewing Peace.
  • The sewing training workshop requires a new floor with tiles; the machines needs a strong floor. Currently the floor is dusty, which damages sewing machines.
  • The vocational project needs be supplied with 80% manual sewing machines, as they are easier to repair than electric machines, which are expensive to repair when their gears and rollers fail. Even electricity is a challenge in some of our remote Ugandan communities.
  • The Organization lacks a computer, printer, and photocopier, which we need to print end-of-term exams and other office documents. Currently all computer work is taken to town.
  • The project requires a computer lab with internet access to enable our trainees to access zoom communication with other international students and exchange developmental ideas, and to access health-related issues, including Covid-19 information.
  • The project requires a new embroidery machine that can use a USB drive and that can run faster. The current machine is slow and often needs routine maintenance and servicing.
  • The Organization requires office furniture and a staff room, as instructors don’t have a place to sit and keep their kits.
  • The Training Centre lacks clean water. There is a very small (2000-liter) water tank, which lasts 2 days. Then students have to go on foot 1 km in search of water from unprotected water sources. This has resulted in many cases of Typhoid.
  • We have many cases of malaria among project trainees, as they lack mosquito nets. In every term we get over 85% malaria cases among trainees. Malaria is the disease with the highest death toll in Uganda.
  • There is a great need of renovating training hall roofs, as all are broken due to leaking iron sheets.

Way Forward & Recommendations

  • On the 13th of November 2021, we will hold our 8th Vocational Project Graduation Ceremony, where over 100 youths will be commissioned and awarded start-up kits in Hairdressing & Weaving, Sewing & Fashion, or Motor Vehicle Mechanics. You are invited please.
  • We are fundraising for a new 2-classroom block, to enable us to create a conducive training environment and have room for more students.
  • We need a new roof for the Tyne Hall workshop, where we teach Hair Dressing and Weaving.
  • We need a new toilet for boys, who currently share facilities with girls, which is not recommended!
  • We need embroidery machines with USB input, as the one we have is very slow and requires mechanical servicing all time!
  • We welcome volunteers who can teach sustainable skills to our youths. We would like to partner with similar vocational training institutions elsewhere in the world. This will help us learn how they operate. Plus it will help our Ugandan youths create friendships with fellow youths and learn about their cultures.

Conclusion and Appreciations

In conclusion, I thank Mr. Chris Eldridge, Mr. David Schweidenback of Sewing Peace, Mr. Colin Dippie and Mrs. Jane Louise Dippie, Mr. Nino Ardizz and Ms. Madison Ardizz, who have been so supportive to our organization. This has been and still is a very challenging season.
I extend our thanks to the generous communities of the USA who have been donating their used Sewing machines to our needy Ugandan communities. Please, the used sewing machines which seem unimportant in the USA have uplifted our communities, changing peoples’ lives by creating a daily source of income.

Furthermore, we extend our sincere appreciations to our new Rotarian & Scouts friends: Ms. Sarah Kim from South Korea, Ms. Ivonne Sencebe Reilley and Pat Curley of the USA, who are trying to raise funds for a computer lab and construction of a classroom block.

Please thank you so much.

I pray that every one is safe from the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Philippines, Sewing Partners, Uncategorized

report from the philippines, summer 2021

Summer 2021 Newsletter

Rags2Riches (R2R) is a social enterprise established in 2007 that provides livelihood to artisans from poor communities in the Philippines. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, the President & Co-Founder of R2R is a Rolex Young Laureate for 2010, which paved the way for the partnership with Sewing Peace.

In October 2020 Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and David Schweidenback were interviewed by the Washington Post together for a dynamic new media article called Trash to Treasure Hunters, in partnership with Rolex.org. As both Reese and David are Rolex Awardees for the Environment, they shared their experiences on upcycling, recycling, and creating better opportunities for people through transforming waste into valuable assets. The partnership between R2R and Sewing Peace was a natural fit. R2R provides livelihood opportunities for artisans from the Philippines while Sewing Peace provides valuable livelihood-enabling assets such as sewing machines to communities in need. Not long after the interview was published, Reese and David continued their conversation and established a partnership.

Sewing Peace shipped 35 beautiful and functional sewing machines to R2R in December 2020. All of these sewing machines were distributed to the main artisans of R2R. These machines enable the artisans to generate livelihood while staying home and keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy. All of R2R’s artisans are very grateful for these valuable tools that enrich their lives and create opportunities for them to support their families especially during this pandemic.

Sewing machines are incredible tools for artisans to be able to practice their craft while generating income for their families. R2R’s main tool has always been the weaving loom. However, sewing machines also emerged as another indispensable tool that, combined with the use of the weaving loom, could create unique and valuable masterpieces that could generate more income for artisans. R2R provides the training for sewing and weaving as well as continuous market access.

The sewing machines provided by Sewing Peace are valuable assets for artisans to lift themselves out of poverty and stay out of poverty.

bicycles, Sewing Partners, Tanzania

report from tanzania, summer 2021

By Alan Schultz
Summer 2021 Newsletter

Pedals for Progress has received reports from The Norbert and Friends Missions, our partner in Tanzania. Their second container arrived on February 2, 2020, and was slightly delayed due to unexpected costs and delays with the Tanzania Revenue Authority. The container finally made its long-awaited arrival at the NFM headquarters and was immediately unloaded.

The Norbert and Friends Missions experience high demand for P4P bikes and sewing machines due to their reputation for quality. Word is being spread about the benefits of bikes and sewing machines. Norbert and Friends Missions are determined, and are showing, that they can continue to create a continuous, autonomous, and independent revolving fund. This has always been the primary goal when setting up new relationships with partners overseas and the Norbert and Friends Missions have successfully laid the foundation to do so. It is up to us on the domestic front to continue supplying their great demand. It has been a true inspiration to see the strides they are making.

The bicycles provided by P4P have garnered fame as they are reliable tools used by the community’s healthcare workers and farmers. Norbert and Friends Missions are reporting that farmers are increasing their production, as they can haul more product over greater distances. Healthcare is more accessible to community members, and on the inverse healthcare workers can access the community easier. School children are also making noticeable changes in attendance and their grades as they can get to school faster, and as a result, are less tired, allowing them to better focus on their schoolwork.

The Norbert and Friends Missions tell us the sewing machines and bicycles are also greatly impacting the lives of women and girls in their community. The bicycles are allowing women and girls to have reliable transportation that is safer for them than walking. Women and girls face disproportionate challenges getting transportation. However, bicycles provided by The Norbert and Friends Missions have been evening out this inequality. The sewing machines being provided also give women opportunities to create their own small business. The women doing so have been a great source of inspiration for younger generations. The women who are proving to be successful are also very motivated to pass on their skills by teaching younger generations and holding classes for the inexperienced. The sewing machines provide a regular income for people that have had no source whatsoever.

Please read these personal testimonials from The Norbert and Friends Missions. It is amazing to hear how motivated the organization is in changing their community. They wish to continue the spread of their work and have hopes of reaching every corner of their country to distribute the much-needed aid our bicycles and sewing machines provide. They certainly have this within their capacity, and we are very excited to continue to work with them to make this goal a reality.

Success Stories from Tanzania

Here are some stories from the community of The Norbert and Friends Missions, our partner in Tanzania. Norbert and Friends are located in Arusha, in northern Tanzania, not far from Mount Kilimanjaro. A couple of these stories are from the nearby Hai District.

Nzega and the P4P/SP Women’s Group

I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for getting this sewing machine. Before I got it I couldn’t even buy my own clothes, but after getting this sewing machine I can now afford my own house. I have hired people to help me sell the clothes I make. Life has become easier. Now I wish to start a small college to teach my fellow girls to build their economy. Thank you very much P4P through The Norbert and Friends Missions.

Our group would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to The Norbert and Friends Missions. Now we are meeting in unity but lacking resources; we are praying for our donors to help us with more sewing machines.

Mariam Arbetus

This family thanks the Organization for providing us with a sewing machine. We have now been able to talk about another sewing machine. We hope that my children also learn this skill as they have seen great benefits. Since we received the sewing machine it has opened the doors for my business, as I henceforth will look more professional. The Norbert and Friends Missions are the Hope for the hopeless, the Peace Makers and friends to the poor. May God help them continue reaching the unreached, and helping the left for themselves. God bless you very much.

Sewing Peace Community Impact in Hai District

We don’t have good words to say because when we started this project we were two but now we have 12 of us. There is one who was wanting to run away from his family but after getting a sewing machine with this Group he found life has become much easier and he has managed a family services business and his children are now going to school. We just need to add a sewing machine. Thank you for helping us.

Manka

From the Hai District: Manka does not believe her eyes. “I was wondering how I could lead my life without any income.” Now she has seen so much benefit from managing her own sewing project and making her own money that she is thinking of opening a tailoring shop and hiring people who will help her manage her sewing business. “Many girls are suffering from poverty and lack of income even when they have professional skills. And yet many others would like to acquire tailoring skills but cannot afford it! I promise to reciprocate to the NFM by helping any women or girls who come my way for the sake of poverty alleviation. I know what it means living without income and how it hurts! May God Bless The Norbert and Friends Missions and their partners!”

Demand for Bikes

These you see here are students who have been in our office to ask for a bike after seeing their classmates with bikes do so well with attendance and exams. Students without bikes often walk a very long distance to school.


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