Making a Difference: 5 Mechanics...16 days..200 lbs. of tools and parts...one big adventure.

Jacob Seigel-Boettner joins the efforts of Project Rwanda by getting his community involved, first with a local fundraiser and now a bike workshop. He will travel to Rwanda with a team of teachers and students to help train bike mechanics. Read about the group's endeavors on this blog: Realize It: Rwanda 2007. Jacob writes:

"Global poverty is the largest challenge facing your young generation."
- President Jimmy Carter, UC Berkeley, May 2007

In December of 2006, I stumbled across an article in VeloNews about a group called Project Rwanda. Their mission was to utilize the bicycle as a tool of growth and healing in a country torn apart by genocide. As a lifelong cyclist, the article instantly captured my attention.

In January of this year, I orgainized a fundraiser ride with Santa Barbara Middle School to raise money for the Project. Despite the pouring rain, we managed to get 100 students and their families out on their bikes and raised $4,000. Project founder and mountain bike legend Tom Ritchey rode with us and was thoroughly impressed.

This June, I am leading a team of teachers and students from Santa Barbara and Berkeley on a trip to Rwanda to help the Project train mechanics to work on the 1,000 special "coffee bikes" specially designed to aid the independent coffee farmers in their back breaking work. We are also bringing over 200 lbs. of gear and tools with us to supply the coffee cooperatives. Hopefully our efforts will help chip away at the largest problem facing our generation.

Carpe Diem,
Jacob Seigel-Boettner