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What's with this attitude that the solution to issues in Africa is to dump some product on the continent? What are you solving by dumping a massive amount of un

What's with this attitude that the solution to issues in Africa is to dump some product on the continent? What are you solving by dumping a massive amount of unwanted, broken down bicycles? And where in Africa? Africa is a huge place.

i_feel_great 9y ago
Not to mention, you need appropriate pathways to ride bikes.
- jpatokal 9y ago
  Not really: in the Congo, for example, the "highways" have deteriorated so much that bicycles are pretty much the only feasible wheeled mode of transport. https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/democratic-republic-of-congo-lubumbashi-to-kinshasa.50799/page-9#post-737844 https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/democratic-re...
  - cooper12 9y ago
    If that's the case, wouldn't it make more sense to equip them with off-road bikes with features like a suspension, larger tires, multiple gears, panniers to hold bags, and other features than to give them heavy bikes built for riding in cities with step-through frames?
    - jpatokal 9y ago
      I'm not saying we should start shipping Mobikes to the Congo, I'm just noting that bicycles are, in fact, quite usable without a lot of fancy infrastructure.
gowld 9y ago
https://bikesnotbombs.org/international https://bikesnotbombs.org/international
cooper12 9y ago
I remember reading somewhere that so many people donated t-shirts to Africa that it devastated their local textiles industry. You can't just throw money (or garbage in this case) and expect it to magically fix underlying issues such as with infrastructure. Also, Africa isn't across the street: there are signifiant logistical issues involved. Edit: found an article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/second-hand-clothing-donations-kenya https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/second-hand-cl...
- NullPrefix 9y ago
  >You can't just throw money That's exactly what you should be doing if you want to solve it. By throwing money (cash) directly to the poor you can drive up the local economy.
  - stephengillie 8y ago
    Direct charity creates dependence. The way to solve poverty in Africa is to buy goods from people in Africa. But too many people continue to see the entire continent as incapable of providing value.

i_feel_great 9y ago

Not to mention, you need appropriate pathways to ride bikes.

jpatokal 9y ago
Not really: in the Congo, for example, the "highways" have deteriorated so much that bicycles are pretty much the only feasible wheeled mode of transport. https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/democratic-republic-of-congo-lubumbashi-to-kinshasa.50799/page-9#post-737844 https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/democratic-re...
- cooper12 9y ago
  If that's the case, wouldn't it make more sense to equip them with off-road bikes with features like a suspension, larger tires, multiple gears, panniers to hold bags, and other features than to give them heavy bikes built for riding in cities with step-through frames?
  - jpatokal 9y ago
    I'm not saying we should start shipping Mobikes to the Congo, I'm just noting that bicycles are, in fact, quite usable without a lot of fancy infrastructure.

gowld 9y ago

https://bikesnotbombs.org/international https://bikesnotbombs.org/international

cooper12 9y ago

I remember reading somewhere that so many people donated t-shirts to Africa that it devastated their local textiles industry. You can't just throw money (or garbage in this case) and expect it to magically fix underlying issues such as with infrastructure. Also, Africa isn't across the street: there are signifiant logistical issues involved. Edit: found an article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/second-hand-clothing-donations-kenya https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/second-hand-cl...

NullPrefix 9y ago
>You can't just throw money That's exactly what you should be doing if you want to solve it. By throwing money (cash) directly to the poor you can drive up the local economy.
- stephengillie 8y ago
  Direct charity creates dependence. The way to solve poverty in Africa is to buy goods from people in Africa. But too many people continue to see the entire continent as incapable of providing value.