Recycled bikes making a difference;

In the small southeast African nation of Malawi, adults and children ride bicycles for work, for travel or even to reach medical attention. And some of their bikes come from Peterborough.

The local branch of Africycle Canada collected more than 150 bikes at The Third Space, on the corner of Park and Wolfe streets, Saturday afternoon.

"We collect bikes and pack them in a shipping container to send to our Africycle shop in Malawi," said David Blondel.

"These are bikes that come from people's sheds, garages and basements. We keep them out of the landfill and recycle the bikes into a community that really needs them."

In Malawi, Blondel said, "people use bikes for everything, work, travel, to get to medical care."

In Africa you see entire families piled onto bikes, or people carrying goats or tables or food on their bikes, Blondel said.

"The profits made by Africycle in Malawi are used to fund a school for disabled children and a water project."

The local team is part of the national Africycle network established four years ago in Uxbridge, Ont.

"We are trying to introduce quality bikes to communities in Malawi," Blondel said explaining an old used North American bike is of better quality than new bikes found in Malawi.

Mike Siddall, from Uxbridge, is one of the founders of Africycle Canada and he was on-hand for the bike collection Saturday.

"The last collection from Peterborough arrived in Malawi in June," Siddall said.

He was at the Africycle shop in Malawi when the shipment of 600 bikes arrived to help teach local staff how to prepare them for sale.

"We couldn't get them ready fast enough," Siddall said. "Even if we could get 2,000 bikes to the shop this year we wouldn't keep up with demand."

The key, Siddall said, is Africycle sells better quality, refurbished bikes at a cheaper price.

"And the money raised is injected back into their own community to help the kids who really need it," he said.

The Ride for Africycle tour around Lake Ontario from Friday to July 26 is a major fundraiser for the organization, he said.

Blondel will be one of seven riders gearing up for the 1,000 kilometres ride around Lake Ontario.

For information on the ride, about Africycle or to donate visit their web-site www.rideforafricycle.com.