...the poster for the benefit I've been working on for Portland non-profit, Bikes To Rwanda.
BTR's goal is to improve quality of life in Rwandan farming communities through a bike workshop and maintenance program that provides transportation resources for basic needs and enhances production of quality coffee. Cargo bikes help farmers harvest their crops quicker and easier, making it possible for more of the crop to reach potential buyers. In the past few years, Rwanda has developed a reputation to producing top-quality specialty coffee for export throughout the world. The result has been tremendous economic and social benefits for the people of Rwanda: coffee now generates more than half of Rwanda's export income—some US $46 million in 2006—and it helps support thousands of families. As Rwandans earn more for their coffee beans, families take a step up the ladder of economic development toward a better life.
This year, BTR will be focusing its efforts on building bike shops for Rwandan co-ops. The shops will be gathering places and resource centers where people in the co-op can maintain, service, and construct bicycles. It is our goal at Octane to support this community, our global coffee family, as we work to raise enough funds to construct a bike shop in Rwanda.
