JACKSON, Wyo. — Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP) and The Hub Bicycles Jackson Hole are proud to once again host a bicycle drive for a women-owned bike shop outside of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. The Bikes For Uganda drive will be conducted alongside the Community Bike Swap, to be held at The Hub Bicycles at 410 W. Pearl Ave in Jackson, Wyoming, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11.
“Every bike donated will make a difference in the lives of female entrepreneurs and their families,” according to Keith Sproule, Executive Director of AKP. “We are looking for adult bicycles of all shapes and sizes, as long as they are in reasonable working condition. As the Bwindi region is a rainforest with steep slopes, mountain bikes are particularly needed. Please refrain from donating children’s bicycles.”
Last year, AKP’s first annual Jackson Bikes For Uganda effort collected and sent bikes to Nkuringo, Uganda, where a women-owned bike shop was established as an independent social enterprise. Almost 200 bikes were collected at the Jackson Bike Round-Up.
This initiative is part of AKP’s Bike Enterprise Program, which empowers communities overseas through mobility. Women in the community receive training to run a business selling refurbished bikes at affordable prices, setting aside a percentage of earnings for salary, spare parts and business licenses, as well as a portion to pay for their resupply shipments.
Around 20,000 bikes have been shipped to Egypt, Jordan, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda through the Bike Enterprise Program. Nearly 40 women are employed full-time, with an additional 25 people employed part-time. The bike stores are all sustainable in that the ladies pay for their re-supplies, based on revenue from the first container provided to them.
Founded in 1982, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy is the philanthropic arm of Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, a global lifestyle and travel company that sets the standard for refined and personalized travel experiences. Its mission is to improve lives and protect the environment by supporting local communities in travel destinations. In alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals, AKP projects focus on education, enterprise, health and the environment. AKP has established projects and programs in more than 24 countries all seven continents, positively impacting hundreds of thousands of lives and helping preserve some of the world’s most precious ecosystems, continuing to celebrate travel as a force for good.
For more information about AKP and the Bike Enterprise Program, see www.akphilanthropy.org
