Do-Something-Now St. John bike handover

On Friday the 4th of January 2013 San Diego based organization Do-Something-Now, aimed at making a massive difference in people’s lives around the globe, handed over 25 Qhubeka bicycles to St. John home-based caregivers in Cape Town. Do-Something-Now wanted to assist a South African establishment that supported patients with cancer and HIV/AIDS, and visiting board members Michael and Carol Horvitz saw this as the perfect opportunity! Do-Something-Now approached Qhubeka to purchase the bicycles locally. Qhubeka, a strategic partner of the Wildlands Conservation Trust, aims to help rural communities move forward and progress by giving bicycles to community members in return for work done, to improve their environment and their community. Most of Africa’s rural population has no access to transport and people have to walk long distances to access opportunity, education, shops, community services and healthcare. The Wildlands Conservation Trusts Tree-preneur Project, which has been introduced into communities in the Cape with the help of Spier and PSG Konsult Corporate, supports rural and township communities. This project teaches community members to grow and barter indigenous trees for livelihood support, such as food, clothing, building supplies, Jojo tanks and bicycles. Lesley Joemat, Project Manager at Wildlands, nominated the St. John caregivers as the recipients of this donation as they provide home-based care for patients living with cancer or HIV/AIDS in the communities where the Tree-preneur Project is active, therefore ensuring Tree-preneur’s are also comforted in their time of need and taken care of. The 150 St. John caregivers work 4.5 hours per day, most of which is spent walking between over 1500 homes of patients within their own community. The bicycles will therefore ensure the caregivers can now better manage their time, visit more patients and be more productive. St. John Community Projects Manager, Glenville Leedenberg, was delighted, “thank you to everyone that collaborated in making this donation possible. These bicycles will provide sufficient transport to reach patients and allow for more time at the patients’ homes,” concluded Leedenberg.