Friends-

Please check out the "Coffee-Bike" at www.projectrwanda.org

Tom Ritchey and his team have put together some very exciting programs in support of their ongoing coffee-bike project.

I could go on and on but their web site (with pictures of past events) is so well detailed and comprehensive, that all I have to say is...

Check it out and get involved, you'll be glad you did!

Trailer Sales

Good news travels fast and far...

The bicycle trailers were taken last week to an expo in Rwamagana, Rwanda (not too far from Kibungo). They were well received by the people (especially the children, see picture!) within the community and the word on the street is that the trailers are exceeding everyone's expectations.

Pictured is a young man who lives in Rwamagana. He is married and has four children. His hope is to make enough money to send his children to school. The picture shows him hauling grasses, corn and sweet potatoes from his field to his house about 3 kilometers away. The corn and sweet potatoes are the family's food for the day and the grasses will be used to feed his cow. He makes two or three trips like this a day. He also has to get water from a source about 2 kilometers away. The family uses 3 Jerrycans a day (2 for the family and 1 for the cows). The hope is that he can increase production and efficency in order to produce a surplus to sell at market to support his family's needs.

Here is a picture of a young man, his son and a bicycle, his new trailer will provide opportunities never before imagined!

Also pictured is the trailer manufacturing team working on a trailer frame! Stay tuned for more soon...

Rwanda Bicycle Trailer Project Video

Friends,

The Rwanda Bicycle trailer Project Video is now available at www.youtube.com
You may either search "Rwanda Bicycle Trailer" or simply paste this text in your internet browser... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLBhsifiW_E

This project really made a positive impact within the Kibungo community and as you will see from the video, the frendships that were formed were as important as the skills that were learned.

I hope you enjoy watching the video as much as I did making it. I look forward to continuing to bring trailer projects to the areas that need them and invite you to participate as well. Thank you for all the support this project received along the way, the implementation was a great success!

Rwanda Trailer Project Planning & Implementation

Something will always be overlooked, I have yet to run across a business that functions without error or oversight. The key is to remain flexible and ready to make changes as the project evolves. There has been a tremendous amount of planning, however, each project is a unique and independent entity. So changes to the base plan are a given. The individual adaptation to the culture is expected.

Tooling, Production Materials, Business Documentation, Training/Visual Aids and Supplies are all traveling with me to Rwanda. These are the critical components to beginning and sustaining the business during the start-up phase. These critical items have been packed in heavy duty cases for air shipment "checked baggage".

Additional Tooling and Production Materials will be procured in-country. Fixtures/Jigs will be built in-country.

Wheels will be procured in-country.

Note: The trailer micro-business project plan is designed to stimulate the local economy. The in-country procurement of tools, material and other resources benefit local businesses and shop keepers. Additionally, the trailer project supports many spin-off micro-businesses (i.e. delivery, hauling, taxi, ambulance services, repairs, accessory development and sales/rentals). This leads to a paradigm shift in economic reliance on aid to economic reliance on self.

People have been selected to participate in this project by an in-country Project Liason. This person has prepared and scheduled them for the upcoming project implementation and has arranged for advertising, marketing and sales networking throughout the Kibungo parishes. This person has also coordinated all necessary regulatory requirements through the appropriate governmental officials.

The next step is to arrive at the trailer manufacturing facility and begin the familiarization and general training process. This will include participating in turning a blank space into a process driven manufacturing facility. I will be introducing logical progression concepts and how working within a framework of processes leads to project order...

Appreciation to Minuteman Press

I'd like to recognize the efforts and dedication to developing the Rwanda Trailer Project printed materials by Minuteman Press. They are located in St. Peters, Missouri (636) 928-5529 and owned by Jan Beardsley. I have been working with one of their very talented staff members, aptly named Art, who is not only creative and insightful but is very personable and committed to meeting cost and deadline constraints. These people really go the extra mile in providing a full range of affordable high quality printing and design services. I recommend them highly and appreciate their professionalism and personal investment (interest) in their customers as people, with whom they are building lasting relationships.

Rwanda Bicycle Trailer Project Preparation

While in Rwanda, I was challenged by my good friend, Bishop Josias Sendegeya, to develop a viable solution to some basic transportation problems they face, while stimulating the local economy at the same time. No small task, but one I felt called to attempt! One question the Bishop asked me during our conversation was, "Do you know why the Catholic Church has such a strong financial structure in Rwanda?" His answer was quite simple... "They are good at running businesses." The Bishop went on to explain how the Catholic Church ran many successful micro-businesses within the community. He finished our conversation simply stating, "Why can't we do this as well?" Indeed, why not us? Flash forward a few thousand hours...

I designed three models of trailers and developed a comprehensive business process to facilitate the success of indigenous micro-business implementation. The process is adaptable to any people group where the use of bicycles or motorcycles to haul goods and/or people is acceptable. Moving goods and people safer and more efficiently while stimulating economic growth are the key elements in the overall success of these project processes.

We must also be aware of the culture within which we are working. For instance, I had suggested we implement the “No Weld Wood Trailer” model as an alternative to the “Welded Steel Trailer”. However, I was quickly informed that in Rwanda the government would not approve of using wood based trailers. In fact, I was told that the government was quite excited about our initial plans to utilize steel in our manufacturing process. I have also heard that a few members of the government have already reserved their steel trailers from our first production run. The reason for the push to utilize steel rather than wood is because there is a dedicated reforestation effort by the entire country of Rwanda. I am happy to report RanCorp Services is part of a product and service that supports that effort. So we'll use steel instead of wood!

I will take many tools with me which are cost prohibitive to purchase in Rwanda. The extremely high cost of tools and materials is a challenge that the people of Rwanda face daily. The tools we will be utilizing are of high quality and will support many years of productivity.