Refine. Persevere. Celebrate.

Akerfa Newsletter February/March 2010

Dear Supporter,

My name is Divilence Machalika, but my friends call me MacD.

I am the Operations Coordinator here at Zambikes. Within the last three months we have received 3 containers of bicycle and trailer parts.

This year we are focusing on being extremely smart and organized. I can tell you right now exactly how many bicycle or trailer parts we have in the Production Facility or at our distribution points.

We have been working really hard on making the bamboo bikes perfect. It is really exciting because we are becoming experts in bamboo. I think you should all get a bamboo bike.

This year is going to be a little different than last year. Last year we made mostly Zambulance trailers, but this year we are going to distribute more Zamcart trailers. Not that there is not a need for Zambulances but Zamcarts are gaining a lot of momentum.

This is because it has been a great year for farming in Zambia. Many of the farmers need our Zamcarts to get their products to the market. CARE international just received an entire truckload of our Zamcarts. CARE is a great organization that is helping the community by getting our Zamcarts to rural farmers. The farmers then distribute their farmed goods along routes where cars cannot go.

I am also excited for our new long bikes (the Njovu) to be here. I have seen people use both the long bikes and the Zambulance trailers as school buses. Seeing children transported to school on Zambikes products always makes me smile.

This month has been one of the best of my life too because my wife just delivered my first born, named MacD, Jr.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the update. I want to thank you for supporting Akerfa and ultimately Zambikes, even if you have not been over here to physically see it. You are all amazing. I pray to God that He will be on your side to support you just like you are supporting us.

Your man,

Divilence “MacD” Machalika

Operations Coordinator, Zambikes

information@zambikes.org

DAVID SACHER HAS FINISHED!

By: Jessica Congelliere

For those of you tracking the latest whereabouts of the incredible, David Sacher (@davidthebrave), you know that he has not only covered most of South America in record time…but more importantly that HE HAS FINISHED!

“I have done it” was the simple twitter message posted at 3:47pm on Tuesday, March 3^rd. His proof: a picture of downtown Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

His posting was simple and to the point. But, entirely understated.

David Sacher, 22 years old and on a mission, finished a 15,000-mile journey on his bicycle. He launched the trip at the top of Alaska and passed through Canada, North America and Central America in his ultimate pursuit of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

In typical David fashion, the final leg was a stretch lasting 29 hours straight. In a follow up message Dave shared: “Exhausted. Biked over 29 hrs straight and more than 500k through insane terrain to do it! 1st night indoors in weeks.”

Through eloquent writing in his blog entries, messages over twitter and breathtaking pictures, David shared his grueling journey with each of us. He showed us courage and commitment while pouring out his heart and soul into words that both warmed and seared us.

David is man of passion, bravery and perseverance. He is a hero to us all.

On behalf of the entire team at Akerfa, we would like to congratulate and thank David for his unwavering dedication to this epic journey. The lives impacted in Africa, through the money raised as a product of his trip, are numerous. Thank you David for this ride and for allowing us to share in this story with you. We hope that you have been as blessed through the process as we have been.

NEW UPDATES ON THE ZAMBIKES TEAM AND PRODUCTS

By: Mwewa Chikamba, Zambian Director and Logistics Manager

I want to start by thanking all the supporters that have made Zambikes a success story by sponsoring and praying for this project.

The vision cannot be fulfilled without the divinely connected people between Zambia and the states.

Zambikes, as you know, is just over 2 1/2 years old and still growing. Growth presents challenges of different kinds, through which the Zambikes team and leadership are experiencing significant personal growth.

Zambia is known to be a country where the majority of business is acquired during the months of March and April. The goal for 2010 is to sell up to 500 Bamboo bikes, 2,500 regular Zambikes, and 1,200 Zambulance and Zamcart trailers. The achievement of that goal will take a lot of hard work, prayer and, of course, the much needed support from you.

The guys at Ukwaluka (the Production Facility) are in high spirits, with most now beginning to master the art of working individually and with less supervision. In the office we just hired someone for the assistant marketing position named Miss Boni. The marketing team has struggled since David’s passing, so her addition to the team will be much appreciated. The marketing team has started revisiting all the NGO’s we worked with last year and pursuing new contacts at different levels.

On the other hand, Zamcart distributions are picking up slowly. We only sold 4 last year, compared to an expected 30+ by the end of March. The attainment of these goals will take a well-coordinated and efficient effort. As MacD mentioned, our hope is that the momentum of demand for them will continue.

We would also like you to know that we are investing significantly in the educational prospects of individual team members. Tiki, a sales representative, is doing a Diploma course in Marketing. Chiteu is pursuing a Diploma in Business Management. Irene is pursuing Business Administration, while Daniel and a few other guys at the farm are hoping to go back to school soon.

Zambikes has also selected a few individuals to receive micro loans for their businesses. We have sponsored a widow named Mrs. Chabala with k500,000 (current exchange rate is 4700 kwacha to the dollar) so she can boost her business of trading in groceries and vegetables.

Another recipient is Mrs. Mukomongo, who is crippled and travels in a wheel chair. She was dispersed k500,000 in order to fulfill her contract to make school jerseys for the students at a school. Mrs. Mirram Chikoti, another recipient, is using her k500,000 to make shoes (I believe some of the shoes she is making will find their way out there to the states somehow).

My hope is that you are encouraged by the progress and growth of Zambikes and encouraged to pray for our team as we pursue the goals set forth for the year. I would like to reiterate that it is because of you that we have gotten to the place we are and have the opportunities we have. Thank you.

“AFRICA: ONE BIKE AT A TIME” – A Night in Africa (by way of Denver…)

By: Jessica Congelliere

Setting:

Botswana Exhibit

Where:

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Common Goal:

Empowering Others Continents Away Through Bikes

Saturday, February 27^th in Denver, Colorado, Akerfa hosted a benefit event with local cyclists, entrepreneurs, friends and family. It was a night of food, friends and fun.

Amidst singing, laughter and dancing, The Pan African Ensemble performed an exciting compilation of original songs. Through videos of founders, Dustin and Vaughn, presentations and auction items the message of hope was introduced to an entirely new audience.

A special thank you to the fabulous host and hostess for the evening, Eric Dunn and Lyn Simon. Their tireless efforts ensured an enjoyable evening for everyone.

For those of you who attended the event, your picture with the bamboo bike can be seen through the following link!

DENVER EVENT PICTURES

ARE THEY SPELLING ACIRFA WRONG?

What’s in a name?

Is it ACIRFA or Asirfa? AKIRFA or a.ker.fa?

These are questions that we run into on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. In thinking about how we can re-brand ourselves and make our name, logo and organization more appealing to the masses, we did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions.

We found the need to make our name and brand a bit more simple, easier to pronounce, remember and share with others – something that stands out.

So we changed the name to a.ker.fa and updated our logo and tag line. It has been a long process, one requiring significant thought, consultation and prayer.

Below are a few of the reasons we made the change:

a.ker.fa is easier to pronounce, explain and share
More mobility. It allows us to think beyond Africa in the future. ACIRFA says only Africa. a.ker.fa allows us the ability to expand beyond the borders of a continent.
It fits better into the culture of philanthropy these days.
It does not offend people when they cannot catch its meaning. It can have as much meaning, or as little as you want it to.
It does not completely change the name, but rather takes the old name and makes it more current.

We look forward to discussing this more if you should have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support. We could not do this without you!