22 BIKE SHOPS, 90 JOBS, 12,000 BICYCLES...
WE ARE BUILDING AN INDUSTRY!
This year our achievements really exceeded our expectations. We brought our total number of bikes imported to over 12,000. The majority of these have come through Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) chapters, while others have been shipped by Re~Cycle, ITDP and Bikes for the World . The partnership with B4H has helped establish 13 new Bicycle Empowerment Centres (BECs) in 2009, which employ local people, and benefit local community based organisations through bike sales and servicing. This takes the total number of BEC projects in Namibia to 22. Ninety permanent jobs have been created, of which half are for women: Namibia's unemployment rate is 37 percent. The icing on the cake is that a number of bicycles from each project are donated to healthcare volunteers and children walking to school, and a percentage of profits are invested in local social projects like orphan feeding programmes, school uniform making and provision of micro-loans. With your help, we’re hoping to build on these numbers in 2010.

URGENT FUNDING APPEAL
2009 was a mixed year for BEN Namibia financially. On the one hand, our track record helped us to fund a high number of new projects through donor agencies. On the other hand, we saw a decrease in the number of donations from individuals and small charities. This has serious implications for a small organisation like BEN Namibia. Project funding doesn’t cover all of the organisation’s costs, from salaries to phone bills. Large project funding also leaves little opportunity for us to find dynamic solutions to new challenges. Smaller donations allow us to fill the gaps and better meet the needs of our partners. Help us if you can! You can donate online , and can also make a gift in honour of a friend or family member at Christmas.

BEC CONFERENCE
The conference room in the town of Ongwediva was buzzing on the first morning of BEN Namibia’s Network Conference in late July. Fifty-one people from across Namibia had come together to share ideas, successes and challenges, with the aim of building a professional industry network.
The next three days were jam-packed with workshops and discussions on marketing, supply chains, social investment ideas, managing expenditure, successes and challenges. Presentations were made by suppliers and the Ministry of Trade and Industry's Group Purchase Scheme. The conference finale was a visit to five BEC projects in the northern regions. The conference was an important milestone for BEN Namibia, highlighting the development of our work over the past four years, and helping to inform our plans for the future.
Download a copy of the report to participants here.

BIKES FOR HIV/AIDS VOLUNTEERS
A group of 65 HIV/AIDS home-based care volunteers in Namibia's Omusati region recently received new California bikes to help improve their work. A group of 15 volunteers received mechanic training from local BEC mechanics, Hilya Ekandjo and Ernest Aupa, to enable them to assemble and maintain their bicycles. The volunteers are coordinated and trained by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, and the delivery was made possible through support from CESTAS and ITDP.

MEET A MECHANIC
Sandra Fredricks is a 23-year-old woman from Walvis Bay. In 2006, she found out during her first pregnancy that she was HIV positive. Charntelle was born late 2006, but passed away 14 months later. Working as a domestic cleaner, Sandra had little faith in the future. Six months after the death of her first daughter, she was pregnant again.
The death of her child, the weight of living with HIV and the new pregnancy led her to despair and she tried to kill herself. Fortunately the attempt failed, and her uncle put her in contact with the Walvis Bay HIV support group. In one meeting, Sandra heard about training in bicycle mechanics that would be offered for members of the group. “I went to the support group and begged them for a place. I was chosen and felt so happy”.
Vanessa was born in 2007 and is HIV negative. Through the support group, Sandra was informed of what she had to do to keep her child healthy and to avoid passing on the virus.
In May 2009 Sandra had the bicycle mechanic training, and is now part of the Welwitschia Bicycle Shop, a BEC project run by support group members. “There aren’t many women fixing bikes, but I saw some of them in BEN Namibia projects and now I know we can also do that...Now I have my own income, I can support my daughter and my mother and I’m proud of myself”, she says with a smile.
Sandra is pictured receiving certificates for her training in bicycle mechanics and entrepreneurship. Thanks to Gisele Netto for compiling this report.

TEAM BEN NAMIBIA
Team BEN Namibia’s successful HIV/AIDS awareness campaign has come to an end, after seeing thousands of people present for HIV tests over the past two years. In 2010, the team will focus on developing youth cycling through a school-based programme that aims to bring 60 youth from disadvantaged schools into a regular training and competition programme aimed at developing confidence, self-esteem and discipline. This programme will also feed cyclists into the elite team.
Congratulations to Team BEN Namibia member Victor Krohne, who won a silver medal in the African road cycling championships as part of the Namibian team time-trial. We are expecting big things from Victor in 2010!