Ride-4-Life.com is the home site for FUNAPRO in the
United States.
FUNAPRO is a NGO (non-governmental organization) in
Colombia South America dedicated to helping displaced,
indigenous, and disadvantaged communities achieve
sustainable economic development through hard work and
trade.
We purchase, at market prices, locally produced goods and
move them to a larger world market. This provides
immediate income for the local producer and their family.
We then return 100% of the profits to the community so
they will have the funds to invest in things like good
schools, roads, clean water, or what ever they believe is
most valuable to their community. We will also be sending
tractors, bicycles, school supplies and more - made in the
USA to help our own struggling economy and workers here.
Cutting out the middle man enables us to return the profits
back to the producers.
Our first project is the HOPE WRISTLET. Constructed
using traditional methods that date back to a time before the
first Europeans arrived in South America, these wristlets are
hand made by individuals and small groups to be sold to
tourists and locals to provide income for their family.
FUNAPRO purchases quantities of these at market prices
and makes them available to an audience that the producers
can not reach. The producer benefits twice - first when we
buy and then when you purchase.
Why Colombia? These people have endured almost 50
years of revolution and drug wars that we in no small part
funded by the people of the United States. How can we
turn our backs on them as they struggle to get on their feet?
If you would like to purchase a wristlet now you may click
HERE and do so through PAYPAL. You do not need a
PAYPAL account to make a purchase.
If you would like additional information about FUNAPRO
please contact us.
United States.
FUNAPRO is a NGO (non-governmental organization) in
Colombia South America dedicated to helping displaced,
indigenous, and disadvantaged communities achieve
sustainable economic development through hard work and
trade.
We purchase, at market prices, locally produced goods and
move them to a larger world market. This provides
immediate income for the local producer and their family.
We then return 100% of the profits to the community so
they will have the funds to invest in things like good
schools, roads, clean water, or what ever they believe is
most valuable to their community. We will also be sending
tractors, bicycles, school supplies and more - made in the
USA to help our own struggling economy and workers here.
Cutting out the middle man enables us to return the profits
back to the producers.
Our first project is the HOPE WRISTLET. Constructed
using traditional methods that date back to a time before the
first Europeans arrived in South America, these wristlets are
hand made by individuals and small groups to be sold to
tourists and locals to provide income for their family.
FUNAPRO purchases quantities of these at market prices
and makes them available to an audience that the producers
can not reach. The producer benefits twice - first when we
buy and then when you purchase.
Why Colombia? These people have endured almost 50
years of revolution and drug wars that we in no small part
funded by the people of the United States. How can we
turn our backs on them as they struggle to get on their feet?
If you would like to purchase a wristlet now you may click
HERE and do so through PAYPAL. You do not need a
PAYPAL account to make a purchase.
If you would like additional information about FUNAPRO
please contact us.
A typical view of poverty in rural Colombia
Traditional Colombian wristlets
You might be asking yourself
where the ride stuff comes from in
this project.
That is an excellent question.
Quite possibly if you received a
letter or a business card it was
from one of my rides.
Riding a bicycle is the perfect way
to meet people and stop at places
that we miss in a car. It is also far
less expensive (more funds that
go to our families in Colombia),
better for my health (exercise you
know), and it sure doesn't hurt the
environment to switch our one car
for one bicycle.
Another benefit of traveling by
bicycle is the time it gives me to
think without the noise of our world
interrupting.
where the ride stuff comes from in
this project.
That is an excellent question.
Quite possibly if you received a
letter or a business card it was
from one of my rides.
Riding a bicycle is the perfect way
to meet people and stop at places
that we miss in a car. It is also far
less expensive (more funds that
go to our families in Colombia),
better for my health (exercise you
know), and it sure doesn't hurt the
environment to switch our one car
for one bicycle.
Another benefit of traveling by
bicycle is the time it gives me to
think without the noise of our world
interrupting.
| Trade Not Aide Give a person a fish - they eat today. Teach a person to fish - they feed themselves for life. Help them build a fish store - they can buy shoes for their children. In a crisis, in the short term, aide is a good thing. It helps people survive a dire situation. In the long run aide creates dependency. This destroys the human spirit. There are many examples of this around the world. FUNAPRO has chosen Trade. Trade, when balanced, benefits everybody. When YOU purchase a product at a fair market price you do not negatively effect your budget. You simply decide to make a purchase from one source vs another. The reason you make your choice may be price, philosophy, quality, and so on. Your purchase also enables the product supplier to continue as a competitive producer. When you purchase an item at an inflated price, even when the intent may be good, your purchase creates a false economy that can not be sustained unless enough buyers are willing to purchase at inflated prices over time. Our objective is to create a flow of trade, not a one time transaction. Your purchase from FUNAPRO also helps workers here in the USA. As we import from South America we also export from the USA. Tractors built in Georgia and Arkansas, bicycles with frames made outside Boston and components from all over the US, school supplies from a number of states, and more. We work to achieve fair and balanced trade. The dollars you spend with FUNAPRO will multiply through our own economy and that of Colombia so we all win. Best of all, you help make a real difference in the lives of so many. |
 | |  | |  | |  |
Doing more with less is
just one way we can all make
a difference in so many
ways. As a cyclist I have
always appreciated
innovations in transportation
that did not require huge
engines and large amounts
of fuel.
Today I discovered a truly
great idea in bicycle
transportation. Please take
a moment to check out
Madsen Cycles.
just one way we can all make
a difference in so many
ways. As a cyclist I have
always appreciated
innovations in transportation
that did not require huge
engines and large amounts
of fuel.
Today I discovered a truly
great idea in bicycle
transportation. Please take
a moment to check out
Madsen Cycles.
