Dispatches from the Field & Project Summaries
One Year Update
May 19, 2010
Questions & Answer: Michael Linke
Have you noticed an increase in the overall cycling infrastructure in Namibia?
No, infrastructure development has been slow to get moving on. The city of Windhoek is however close to releasing a call for tenders on a non-motorised transport master plan for the city, something that certainly wasn’t on the radar when we first started lobbying for it.
Are more citizens choosing bikes as their primary mode of transportation?
Yes, anecdotally cycling is increasing. We feel that BEN Namibia has had some impact on this, as we have now distributed almost 15,000 bikes in the country, most of those in the last two years.
Has BENN partnered with other community-based organizations like Hope Family Services to supply bicycles and training to?
We have 22 partners throughout the country that we have helped to establish community based bike shops, including FHS.
How is the emergency transportation/ambulance service going? Are you seeing an increase in overall community health with this support in place?
The ambulance project has been challenging because of lack of resources within communities to manage their maintenance. We have begun reallocating some ambulances to be within range of our partner bicycle shops to enable maintenance to take place. In locations where they have been maintained, though, they have enabled people to provide emergency medical transport where no other alternatives were available.
Is BENN offering employment opportunities within the organization? What jobs are available to the community?
Each of our partner bicycle shops employs up to 5 people. The shop network currently employs 90 people, exactly half of whom are women.
Is Josh still active on the bicycling circuit in Namibia? What has his progress been since we last saw him?
Josh is still cycling, though he’s based in South Africa where he studies. I have heard that he is racing with a team in South Africa but haven’t been able to confirm this.