Jacob Seigel-Boettner, a UC Berkeley student, has volunteered for Project Rwanda both in Rwanda and the U.S. for the past four years!

In 2006, Jacob stumbled across an article about Project Rwanda in VeloNews. With his background of civic engagement and passion for bicycling, the grassroots organization immediately captured his attention. Jacob organized a Ride 4 Rwanda event with his alma mater, Santa Barbara Middle School, to raise money for Project Rwanda. Since then the event has become an annual tradition, the 4th Goleta Beach Ride 4 Rwanda event was held last March and in the past 4 years the ride has collected over $11,000 for Project Rwanda.

In 2007 Jacob led a team of teachers and students from SBMS to train bike mechanics in Rwanda. They took 200lbs of gear and tools to supply the coffee co-ops using the Coffee Bike. "I have seen first hand the impact that a properly designed bicycle can have on those who need them the most."

Dr. Sam Joseph visited the Project Rwanda operations this past February. He was in Kigali, the capital city to work with doctors from Northwest Medical in Seattle, Washington, performing much needed heart surgeries on Rwandans whose lives would be shortened without these surgeries.

Sam is also an avid cyclist and did not want to pass up on the opportunity to ride with Jock Boyer. When Dr. Sam spotted the PR Cargo Bike on the front porch of the house, he was so impressed he immediately thought of using the bike for two of his recent heart patients who needed monthly follow up care and had to travel over three hours on foot to get to the clinic.

He wrote about his experience with Project Rwanda and the help the cargo bike will give his patients in a recent blog:

http://healingheartsnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/02/project-rwandahearts-and-bikes.html

In early January, four students from the Harvard IXP program visited Rwanda after choosing to study the economic impact of the Project Rwanda Cargo Bike. They visited two coffee cooperatives, Bukonya in the Northern Province and Maraba in the Southern Province. They spent two days meeting with farmers who currently own Project Rwanda bikes. They questioned the farmers about their daily activities and how those activities changed when they received a Project Rwanda bike. In the course of their work and evaluation they determined that there was in fact an increase in income for these farmers and a decrease in the amount of time they spent hauling coffee cherries to the washing stations. They also determined that farmers used their bikes to transport family and friends to medical appointments and the hospital when necessary. The farmers valued their bikes and were very strict with who they allowed to ride their bikes.

Everyone stares as Kim Coats strides through the Kigali café. Any muzungu (the Kinyarwanda word for white person) creates a spectacle, even in Rwanda’s capital city, but this statuesque blond from Las Vegas makes an especially significant splash. But rather than writhe in insecurity, 43-year-old Kim looks perfectly at home.

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Project Rwanda was introduced to more than 500 cyclists at the Callville Bay Classic in southern Nevada from February 25 – 28th. As part of its in-kind sponsorship, racers received a Project Rwanda calendar. Bags of Wooden Bike Coffee were also given as preems during the queen’s stage, the criterium.

TRABUCO CANYON – The story of the bike begins in Rwanda.

For centuries, farmers walked their goods and produce through Rwanda, known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills." The more fortunate ones had a primitive bike – a wooden chassis, wooden wheels, poor steering, no brakes, no seat, and no gears.

15 years after the Rwandan genocide, the Tour of Rwanda showed the world just how far the country's come. Procycling travelled there to see how cycling is giving so many a new lease of life

In the morning of the 19 November, Obed Ruvogera's expression registered only a hint of resignation as he was caught and then passed by the peloton. Yet just five minutes before that moment, he'd been riding out on his own at the front of his national tour, midway through the fourth stage that ran between Kibuye and Butare.

Oye Carr of MOD Squad Cycles in Harlem wanted to do something different this year for Black History Month. He came up with an idea that celebrated his African-American heritage and his love of cycling: donate 10% of the shop’s February proceeds to two Africa based charities, Project Rwanda being one of them.

Every Saturday morning, thousands of American cyclists don on their team kits and spin down to the local coffee shop to congregate with their fellow two-wheeled friends. On Saturday, February 20th, 110 Santa Barbara Middle School students and family members did things a bit differently. Inspired by the stories of farmers like Pascal who have been empowered by the bicycle (http://vimeo.com/5601774), they pedaled 9 miles on Rwandan-style muddy roads to help get bicycles to those who need them the most. The entirely youth-run event brought in over $3,000 for Project Rwanda. It was more than just a Saturday ride.

Sarkozy and Kagame are expected to visit a memorial for genocide victims during the hours-long visit, which comes after a stop Wednesday in Gabon that is expected to focus on a defense accord.