First entry pretrip

Why Angela wants to go to Togo -

I want to start writing so you can all understand why this is so important and why it will mean the world to the community at large that we succeed in this endeavor.

This all started with a little nudge from my dear friend and boss, Sara Walsh asking me if I would like to take on the task of overseeing this years bike drive that PCC Natural Markets help Alaffia pull together for the Seattle area. It consists of two days of a speed bike drive :)
We will have two actual drives; one at our Edmonds store on the 25th of July and one at our View Ridge store on the 26th of July. My personal goal for this particular bike drive is 1000 bikes!
Where do all of the bikes go you ask ... well, Alaffia is a body care product that PCC carries in all nine of our stores, the founder - Olowo-n'djo Tchala - has created a beautiful product with the help of many conscious hands, minds and hearts. The product begins in Sokode with the Alaffia/Agbanga Fair Trade Shea Butter Cooperative, where artisan local women gather Shea fruit, and from fruit, to butter do every thing by hand. The Shea butter is then sent to Olympia, WA where it is then crafted into products that you can rest assured will be kind to your mind, body and conscious. What I love most about this entity is; it is not a product ... it is a way to help change the world and love yourself all at the same time ... empowerment from the first pluck of the Shea nut to the application of the product on bare skin. A well rounded and selfless product; see for yourself.


Olowo-n'djo shared with me in the start of this years drive, a piece of information that immediately began a deep root from my heart directly into this program - the girls of Sokode and surrounding villages (just like the boys) walk an estimate of 19 miles round trip, to and fro school, everyday. That is the purpose of the drive, to gift the local villages with bikes for education. The girls though, have higher rates of drop out due to the nature of the culture and how their duties which must be fulfilled at home make for an especially intense day (night). A day would be; "chores" at home before 19miles of walking for school then at home for all off the "chores" to care for the family and then homework to achieve great things in school for full life that includes education. Along the way what Olowo-n'djo noticed is, the pregnancy rates had diminished a bit, he did not think about the fact that by giving a girl a bike to get to school, she would ride the bike and be independent, where as some girls were trading "services" to men to get rides to school because this lessened their hours walking and gave them more time at home for chores and homework. I was in tears to hear that this project had given girls such a empowering tool ... a bicycle.

We are coming up on the drive here in a couple of weeks ... and I would love to see you all there if not with a bike to donate ... just bring your support and energy ... this will be an amazing feat to wrangle 1000 to ship to Togo!
Thank you for all of your support and please, if you would like to contribute to the Bike Project you can bring your old working bike to:

Edmonds PCC
9803 Edmonds Way
Edmonds, Wash. 98020
Saturday July, 25th
11am - 3pm

or

View Ridge PCC
6514 40th Ave. N.E.
Seattle, Wash. 98115
Sunday July, 26th
11am - 3pm


If you are interested in donating money to the Alaffia Bike Drive you can bring us donations to either one of the above bike drives also you can do so at the Alaffia website.


Lastly, I am fundraising to make my way to the village of Sokode for the arrival of these bikes and would be grateful for any support you can muster.
Please write me at:
angelatotogo@gmail.com
or
salubriousbaker@gmail.com
I have already raised $720 and will need another $1780 to feel secure enough to go.

Be well and peaceful -
angela