Billings, Montana-based ALA puts fleet of old wheels, its home community and active trips to work for rural Namibia settlement
Billings, Montana — Global adventure travel company Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) has announced Bicycles for Humanity as its charitable partner and designated the African community of Ngoma, Namibia, as its newly adopted beneficiary.
Spearheaded by ALA director Dan Austin, who also founded the Billings, MT chapter of B4H, ALA has created three key initiatives with its local B4H by leveraging some of its greatest resources: (1) the collection and transport of a fleet of used bicycles; (2) the organization of a seven-day, all-inclusive fundraising B4H bike tour through Tuscany, October 2-8, 2010, with proceeds to develop a new Bicycle Empowerment Center in Namibia that offers distribution and repair services ; and (3) a bike delivery trip to Ngoma, Africa, and its surrounding Caprivi region in July, which will include visits to Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River.
For this remote, rural village in the Caprivi region of eastern Namibia, where poor transport systems impede residents' access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities, ALA's donation of bicycles and funds is vital to advance their mobility and quality of life. "The potential derived from our support is astounding and heartwarming," said Austin. "We can provide low-income earners with a form of sustainable transportation; offer youth a gateway to schooling and sports activities; and a two-way road for medical attention - a means for the sick to pursue it or for volunteers and caregivers to deliver it." One hundred percent of all donations, cash, equipment and materials go directly to the recipient communities in Africa.
A 34-year veteran of adventure travel, Austin shares a spin-off of Winston Churchill's famous quote, "We make a living by the bikes we get, we make a life by the bikes we give."