By David Booth MBE | Founder & CEO
Our unique designs of bamboo bikes, bamboo wheelchairs for disabled children and the wide range of bamboo bike accessories and handicrafts continuously being innovated by our artisans recently attracted the attention of a north American NGO,curious if we could design and build a bamboo becak (cycle rickshaw), modelled on those that transport tourists through Yokyakarta (Jogjakarta).
Two specific requirements in the design are (a) that it is capable of being converted to an electric bike, powered by solar panels on the roof, meaning that the covered passenger bench at the front cannot have folding canvas or other cover and must be solid to enable fixation of the solar panels, and (b) in addition to building in a hidden battery compartment, the passenger bench must have the flexibility to be converted to carry cargo!
Our incredible bamboo designer, Deni, was not fazed by the clients “wish list”, which is the kind of challenge he loves, and bymid July, not only had he designed the versatile becak BUT also included hydraulic suspension for the front 2 cargo wheels and developed the budget estimate! The client was truly amazed and agreed the design and cost for the prototype. We are now awaiting further instruction, but will give updates in our next report.
Bamboo Wheelchairs update
Our bamboo wheelchair client and partner, Brad Moreland and wife Twone, with their eco-friendly companies, Bali Beach Wheels and Eco Living Bali, who are sponsoring the bamboo wheelchairs for disabled children, currently focusing on those in Bali and Lombok island where there are dozens of poor children in need of ‘tailor made’ versatile all terrain wheelchairs have now completed a short video, documenting the first recipient handover and the wheelchair properties, which can be viewed on this You Tube link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjrBkMCDvaU here.
Here at our East Bali Poverty Project villages, we have 6 more disabled children aged from 4 – 11 years, all of which are unable to walk, and whilst the wheelchairs will not improve their physical disabilities, they will provide a tremendous improvement in quality of life for both the children and their loving and dedicated parents and extended families.Please contact me at david.booth@eastbalipovertyproject.org if you’d like more information regarding sponsoring a wheelchair for a disabled child.
New laminated bamboo front baskets for Bamboo Bikes
Most people who use bikes for local commuting and shopping need a sturdy and attractive front basket! Deni and our team have the answer with a very light and sturdy laminated front basket shown in the photo.
Thank you again to all of our friends who continue supporting development of our bamboo social enterprise through GlobalGiving and we are still urgently seeking more seed funding to enable us to provide full training for an initial three of our unemployed high school graduates from our Mount Agung schools, to enable them to start producing high quality bamboo products in their own hamlets, withbamboo from their local forests,and initiate sustainable bamboo business cooperative to initiate sustainable economic development in their impoverished communities.
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