Overview
This one-year project will establish a Bike Kitchen: a community hub that will encourage and empower more people to use bicycles in their everyday lives to realize environmental, healthy, economic and community benefits. The Bike Kitchen will offer activities that will inspire and educate young people about cycling, including a bicycle maintenance workshop to make bike servicing more accessible to all (with a particular focus on youth and less advantaged persons), and volunteer and training of trainer training to grow the number of bike mechanics and cycling advocates in Laos.
First, we will generate interest and engagement through seminars, panel discussions, documentary / movie screenings, information on the Bike Kitchen Facebook page and website, and creating short video clips to introduce the Bike Kitchen concept. Many of these sessions will be in English, thus also providing a language development opportunity.
Begin Bike Kitchen Operations
The Bike Kitchen will train interested young people and unemployed residents of Vientiane in bike mechanics for both routine tune-ups and serious repairs. People with existing old bicycles will be encouraged to bring them to the Bike Kitchen for free basic tune-up and adjustments. Guided rides for beginners will be organized on Saturdays to help them gain confidence and get into the habit of biking. Rental bikes can be arranged for those who are interested to try before they buy. Other initiatives such as a buddy system or bike bus (a bike convoy that follows a set commuting route on a set timetable) can be introduced to encourage commuting during weekdays. We will also deliver workshops on basic bike maintenance so cyclists can take care of themselves if they run into bike issues while out on the road. Cyclists will be welcome to use the Bike Kitchen themselves for their maintenance needs. Female-only rides (however an individual defines themselves) and bike maintenance sessions will be organized to provide extra encouragement and support for women. The Facebook page will be used to regularly engage with cyclists and foster a supportive community.
Volunteer Mobilization for Sustained Bike Kitchen Operations
From the growing cycling community, we will recruit and train volunteers to take more active roles in the Bike Kitchen. With more bike mechanics, the Bike Kitchen can offer more repair services, particularly for persons who cannot afford to pay to get their bike fixed. To reach a more diverse population, we will organize a mobile Bike Kitchen on three occasions in selected districts to promote cycling and offer basic bike servicing to the local populations. The Bike Kitchen will also collect old bicycles and parts that volunteers can use to repair or build bicycles that can be donated to poor communities.
Since January 2022, the price of gasoline and diesel in Laos has almost doubled, the Lao kip has depreciated dramatically, and inflation has reached an all-time high. In rural areas, residents desperate for income have accelerated forest-clearing and burning activities to plant cash crops, leading to some of the worst air pollution ever in Laos. In urban areas too, families are reducing spending however they can.
Most people in Laos drive cars and motorbikes to commute between home and work and errands, but encouraging a culture of cycling could offer significant environmental and health benefits for individuals and for Laos as a whole.
Fostering a culture of cycling is one simple way to engage ordinary citizens in positive actions to combat climate change. At the same time, mechanics training provides vocational skills desperately needed by Laos’ large unskilled labor population.
By the end of the project, we aim to have had 1200 participants across all activities, provided bike maintenance services to 400 clients and have 3000 followers on our Facebook page. Indirect beneficiaries will include local businesses and workplaces.
Contact us for more information at info@efglaos.com