Repairing bicycles for Africa, Oftringen
About the event
Recycled bicycles from Switzerland combine social and professional integration in Switzerland with sustainable development cooperation in Africa.
Thanks to your help, we can export additional bikes to the south, train more bike mechanics, and get students cycling.
We are open to requests for 2024 in terms of dates.
Your task will be to
work with employees of the Wendepunkt Foundation to prepare donated bicycles for export to Africa. Is the bicycle in working order? Does it need minor repairs? How can I prepare it for export in the most space-efficient way possible? You will learn all this during your assignment and get hands-on experience.
Velafrica has been collecting discarded bicycles since 1993, repairing them, and shipping them to Africa. Every year, over 20,000 bikes make their way to the southern hemisphere, where they make life easier for people there. In addition to promoting mobility, Velafrica supports the establishment of bicycle workshops and the training of mechanics. This creates jobs and income opportunities in bicycle assembly, repair, and sales. In Switzerland, Velafrica works with social institutions that employ unemployed people and people with disabilities, as well as institutions involved in the enforcement of measures. In this way, integration work is successfully combined with development cooperation.
Program
9:00 Welcome / General Introduction
Getting to know each other
Training in pairs on a bicycle
Workshop: Bicycle Repair
Workshop: Proper Bicycle Disassembly for Export
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 – 15:50 Bicycle Repair and Disassembly
15:50 Feedback Session
4:00 p.m. Conclusion
From 9:30 Work Assignment in the Export Workshop
Event details
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Meals
Coffee, croissants, lunch, and all refreshments during breaks are included.
What to bring
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Location
Description
Location:
- Stiftung Wendepunkt, Parkweg 6, 4665 Oftringen
Arrival
- Bus stop: Oftringen Kreuzplatz – from there, it is a 3-minute walk.
- A limited number of parking spaces (maximum 6) are available directly at the building.
Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from the meeting point. Travel expenses for the journey to and from the site are not covered and must be borne by the participants.
Contact on the Day of the Event
Stiftung Wendepunkt, Bicycle Workshop Department
- Jonathan Graber – Group Leader, Bicycle Workshop
- Tom Frehner – Head of Garage / Metal Workshop / Bicycle Workshop
Email: metallwerkstatt@wende.ch
Phone:
Jonathan Graber: +41 62 788 98 36
Tom Frehner: +41 62 788 98 04
For any questions in advance, please use the inquiry function at the end of the event description.
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