Goals

1. The BAP project will seek to see improved accessibility to the market by impoverished residents in Gulu district. Most peasants cannot afford trucks for transportation because they don't produce or profit as much as large merchants. Bicycles will make it easier to transport perishable goods to the market at low costs and thereby increasing the possibility of making profits from their goods. 2. Improve accessibility to basic social services through improved mobility among Gulu communities. People in the Gulu community get water from wells that are miles away from most families. The time spent fetching water from wells can be better spent if families have quicker means of transporting water. Government hospitals are also distant from most families. Sick people or pregnant mothers have to walk to hospitals or may end up dying without medical attention. Through provision of affordable transportation with bicycles, this can change. 3. Improve community/group skills and knowledge on different aspects of sustainable development. Through the BAP project, we intend to provide bicycle maintenance seminars to all communities. This will not only be a way to teach community members new skills, but will also enable those who have the technical skills to learn how to effectively communicate. With easy and affordable transportation, community members will be able to take advantage of educational programming and community development workshops offered in neighboring areas and then share the knowledge back home with their neighbors. 4. Encourage economic use of bicycles among young people There is a group of cyclists in Uganda called BODA BODA, who use bicycles to transport people around the city and get paid for the job. As the pilot project progresses, we will also be seeking to train young men and women who are interested in jobs as bicycle taxi operators through having cycling seminars. This will be empowering to these young men and women who can later use the income from the bicycles to pay for their school fees and other basic needs.

Plan

Our group plans to meet the stated goals through the following activitie: Objective One and Two: Improve accessibility to the market/basic social services through improved mobility. Activities: I. Encourage 5 group members to apply together for a bicycle II. Chosen members sign a pledge regarding their responsibilities including attending information and education sessions for the first six months for conflict resolution, communication skills, marketing, customer service and financial planning. III. Establish with the help of local authorities that all group members are permanent residents of Gulu district. IV. Form a monitoring group at community levels to oversee the use of the bicycles, but also all members of the group will be responsible for the bicycle. V. Paint the bicycles with a unique color to make them hard to steal and recognizable by local authorities Objective Three and Four: Improve community/group skills and knowledge on different aspects of sustainable development. Activities: I. Organize cycling seminars with help of Bucknell University students II. Update and print bicycle maintenance kit III. Establish bicycle maintenance and assembling center at community levels IV. Organize seminars in bicycle maintenance and repair with the help of Bucknell speakers and Ugandan experts V. Organize seminars for young women and men about sustainable development VI. Organize seminars in customer care Objective Five: Enhance peace building and harmony using the concept of bicycles Activities: I. Have the oversight committee Organize annual stress relief activities at district level including organization of a community rally for peace that would include bicycle parades, races, skill exhibition, along with special speakers, music, food, dancing and other cultural events II. Collaborate with other organizations to collect and disseminate peace related information III. Compose an agreement form with expected responsibilities of group members