Bamboo "Zambike" Makes Jobs for Zambians

What do you get when you combine Californians, Zambians and an idea? A company that builds bamboo bikes.

Zambikes is a Zambian partner initiative of Acirfa (pronounced a-ker-fa), which was started in the United States by Dustin McBride and Vaughn Spethmann, fellow graduates of Azusa Pacific University. The goal of Acirfa is "to raise awareness and directly support start-up bicycle social enterprises in developing countries with capital and professional consultancy until sustainability is attained."

McBride and Spethmann were in Zambia and realized that a lot of people in the area didn't have jobs, so they wanted to start a business that would help employ the locals. That business's initial product was a rough, bright yellow bicycle called a Zambike. More products emerged, including a bike-drawn "zambulance" that, according to the Acirfa website, saves a life every nine days it is in the field.

Later, Craig Calfee of Calfee Design came into the picture. The Santa Cruz-based bike designer, who had prototypes of bamboo bike frames, had set up a workshop in Ghana and was looking for more bike producers. Soon enough, he was talking to Zambikes, and now Zambikes is producing bamboo bikes — and planning to distribute them in the United States.

A finished bike, according to this BBC News article, will cost more than $900. Something tells me the novelty of these bicycles, along with their environmental appeal, may help speed sales along.

See video below for a look at how they make the bicycles.

Photo courtesy of Zambikes and Acirfa.