Alaffia Prepares Shipment of 2,000 Bicycles Slated for Disadvantaged Students in Togo, West Africa

June 11, 2008 - PRLog -- Olympia, WA - During the past 18 months, Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care has collected more than 2,000 used bicycles with the help of local volunteers and natural foods stores. On July 8, 2008, Alaffia will send their second shipment of bicycles to Togo, West Africa, where they will be distributed to disadvantaged students, mainly girls.  Alaffia’s Bicycles for Education program is designed to encourage rural youth to stay in school by providing transportation to students who walk up to 10 miles a day to attend school.

The Bicycles for Education program is critical for empowering youth and decreasing poverty in Togo, where the average yearly income is less than $300.  While the majority of girls and boys in Togo complete primary school, attendance drops off rapidly in higher grades.  According UNICEF, 90% of girls in rural areas drop out before finishing secondary school. The time and energy required to walk to school are deterrents to continuing school for girls, who have more household chores than boys.  Olowo-n’djo Tchala, founder of Alaffia and Togolese native, states “We believe that these bicycles will provide an incentive for girls to remain in school”.

Togo will not be able to move out of poverty without educating its youth.  The lack of education in the female population leads to the continuation of gender and economic inequalities. “We feel it is especially important to empower our female students, and for this reason, this second shipment will be primarily distributed to female students in 50 different villages. I strongly believe that our communities in West Africa will gain the tools for self-empowerment through projects that encourage respect and gender equality” says Tchala.  

For additional information on the Alaffia Bicycles for Education project, contact Olowo-n’djo Tchala or visit www.alaffia.com.

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About Alaffia: Olowo-n’djo Tchala founded Alaffia in 2004 as a means to support community empowerment projects in his native Togo.  Alaffia manufactures natural shea butter personal care products in Olympia, WA. The shea butter is produced in Togo by Alaffia’s fair trade certified cooperative and shipped to Olympia, where is it the primary ingredient in Alaffia’s premium handmade skin moisturizers, soaps and hair care products.  Alaffia products are available at health and natural food stores, including co-ops and Whole Foods Markets, across the United States.