East Africa

Burundi

Ethiopia

 

It was December 31, 2010, at His Wheels International headquarters in Illinos,  and New Year’s Day January 1, 2o11 at Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH) in Ethiopia when a container with 15 trike kits and a completed trike arrived

The first trike went to Melesse, an Ethiopian Native. The HWI trike replaced an old one that was built locally.

HWI’s journey into Ethiopia began through a conversation with Dr. Harold Adolph and his daughter Carolyn Adolph of SCH, back in 2007. The trike idea grew into a reality after several brainstorm sessions that happened over the next few years.

Our dream to get trikes to Ethiopia became a reality in 2010 when 15 trikes kits and a completed trike were sent via a container to Ethiopia. After the 15 trikes were fabricated by a local welder, then Dr. Anderson, an orthopedic surgeon at SCH helped pick the candidates for the trikes.

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Florida (Sebring), Began Brainstorming About Getting Trikes to Ethiopia

While in Florida Alice began brainstorming with Dr. Harold Adolph, the Founder of Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH), about getting trikes to SCH in Ethiopia.

Florida (Sebring), Began Brainstorming About Getting Trikes to Ethiopia
While in Florida Alice began brainstorming with Dr. Harold Adolph, the Founder of Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH), about getting trikes to SCH in Ethiopia.

Kenya

May 2006

A new partnership was formed with Habil Omungu in Kenya, Africa. Bikes and trikes will help in spreading the gospel to areas where roads hardly exist. “It is the best thing that ever happened in effective enhancement of the spread of the Gospel,” stated a recipient from the Marsabit area. “We will be able to reach as many as possible now that we have the tolls,” a leader from Masai Land remarked.

In Decmeber 2004 I met Habil Omungu, then Anglican pastor from Nairobi Kenya. He graciously listened, encouraged and prayed for the idea of HWI. Nine months later he returned to finish his master’s from Wheaton College. He couldn’t believe how God had blessed the ministry in such a short period of time.

Habil was appointed Archdeacon and conferred upon him the highest honors in the Anglican Church of a Canon this summer.

We have the privilege of partnering with Habil in spreading the gospel as he trains lay church leaders in church planting. We will buy 11 bicycles and 1 hand-pedaled three-wheeler that is built in Kenya to better equip these new leaders. “The bikes will do much more than what any one can ever imagine,” wrote Habil.

Rwanda

Kevin taught Trike Building
In the Spring of 2009 Alice was introduced to Kilara, a 2003 Billy Graham Scholar. Kilara is the Founder of Missions of Agape Friends in Uganda. He is an indigenous missionary sent out from Uganda and presently serving in Rwanda.

Kilara shared the need for bicycles in Rwanda and Uganda.

In Rwanda, “‘bicycles will facilitate transportation for employees at Dayspring Primary School (DPS). begun in Kigali, Rwanda in January 2009.  As a benefit option, they could receive a bicycle on a loan basis, having a small amount deducted from their wages, which would also provide employee stability for the school. Through the repayment plan, the school could continue the bicycle program.'”* Between an 8th grade student learning project at Wheaton Christian Grammar School (WCGS) and HWI we sent $2,500 for bicycles to be bought in Uganda and Rwanda.

 

“While I [Alice] was away in Florida for my second month, HWI continued forward. Kevin, our engineer, met with the missionary from Uganda for about twenty hours, showing him how to build a trike and teaching him all the skills and tools needed for prototyping. Only God could have orchestrated such an ideal opportunity for Kevin, the son of an industrial arts teacher. The missionary learned how to bend metal trike tubes, weld, work with fiberglass, use basic hand tools, and operate machine tools for metal and wood work. The two of them also toured an industrial metal parts fabrication company, and the missionary learned to navigate Auto Cad, a computer drafting program. When he returned to Rwanda, HWI bought him a copy of Auto Cad to use as he began his technical training program.

Several months later, the missionary wrote, ‘HWI has set ‘bicycle fire’ to the school. Our teachers are exceedingly happy for the bicycle loan plan. Four of the staff have received brand-new bikes. I believe this loan plan will promote our vision of excellent child education by stabilizing the school as the teaching staff concentrate on the children.'”*

*Excerpt from, Teisan, Alice Riding on Faith: Keeping Your Balance When the Wheels Fall OFF, (2012), 153.