**Project Update, July 11, 2015: Alhamdulliah. We have hit our goal of $1,490.00 to purchase 10 bicycles. Because of the enthusiasm to the project, we are continuing the Crowdfunding campaign with a $2,500 goal to buy extra bicycles and create a reserve bicycle fund for future orphans who come into our orphanage.

The bicycle is a benign form of transportation, being noiseless and non-polluting and a requisite for a nostalgic childhood. To an orphan in Afghanistan, a bike is big deal. This Ramadan, we are rolling out a Crowdfunding campaign to provide ten bikes for orphans as an empowerment tool. Each brand-new bike will come complete with a helmet, horn, water bottle, lock, and a holder cage.

Bicycles: Dream Machines

In conceiving this bike campaign, we imagine a bright late summer day's afternoon at our small orphanage in Kabul. The boys of the orphanage wash up and sit at the dining table. They say their prayers, eat dinner, and rise from the table with love and brotherhood. Waiting at the door to the orphanage’s courtyard are ten new bicycles, stilled and at the ready to be mounted and shared amongst the 23 orphan brothers. Each bicycle's bright wheel spokes glitters in the sunlight. The orphans are well-mannered. Each defers to his brother to have the first ride. A lucky group of ten boys are settled upon. They hop on the bike saddles. The orphans tear around the courtyard and onto a nearby street. The younger orphans are mentored by the older orphans – and all ten bicycles, in turn, are ridden with gusto. With endorphins shooting from the tooling around and whirling, the orphans retire in for the night to work on their homework. The bicycles wait outside the orphanage for the next day because it is only through movement that a bicycle gets its soul.

Mobility = Access

An orphan more than anyone needs tools like a bicycle to reveal, reclaim, and rewrite their childhood on their terms. Most orphans in our care come from abusive pasts. Cycling shortens that distance on the journey to recovery. Simple, sustainable bicycle transportation also multiplies an individual's efficiency. This freshly minted bicycle gives these orphans a quicker ride away from their pasts. 

Keep the Momentum Going

Since establishing our orphanage in 2011, we have provided extracurricular activities to our orphans that include daily calisthenics, playground equipment, boxing, and field trips. We have watched their faces light up as they learned a new sport and experienced something novel. Now we hope to watch them as they learn to ride a bike for the first time and discover the joys of cycling.

Based on the success of funds raised, we hope to purchase ten of these bicycles:

• 2014 Prado – $100.00/each
• 2013 Feeto – $90.00/each
• 2014 Chicago – $85.00/each

We also will provide the orphans with these bicycle accessories:

• 10 helmets - $10.00/each for a total cost of $100.00
• 10 handle-bar horns – $5.00/each for a total cost of $50.00
• 10 bike locks – $10.00/each for a total cost of $100.00
• 10 front-mounted carrying cages - $8.00/each fora total cost of $80.00
• Miscellaneous bike items like extra water bottles, a bike pump, and tire patch kits – $50.00
• 8 percent LaunchGood crowdfunding cost - $110.40
  
  

Please help us hit our target goal of $1,490.00. Please also make it a challenge this Ramadan to invite three family or friends to join this campaign so YOU can directly change an orphan's life. Its as easy as biking or hiking. 

How You Can Help

1. Personally invest in this Bike for Orphans effort by donating to this campaign today. This campaign closes on the last day of Ramadan, and the blessings for good deeds performed during Ramadan are multiplied 70 times. Donations to this campaign are Zakat eligible and tax exempt. 

2. Please make dua for the orphans in our care.

3. Share the campaign with your family and friends! Post this on your Facebook and like our page to follow our progress!Tweet all about this campaign! 

4. Join the Orphan House Foundation mailing list and receive updates about the orphanage.

About Orphan House Foundation

Your donation is 100 percent tax-deductible. 

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kadeer Halimi
The Orphan House Foundation Team