As of last week, Joanna Szopinska-Tokov, PhD candidate at the Donders Institute, has been collecting bikes in an abandoned bike park in the cellar of the Spinoza Building. The bikes are destined for the victims of the volcanic eruption that hit Guatemala in June.

‘I have no idea how many bikes I should hope for, but there’s no shortage of space’, says Joanna Szopinska-Tokov. Radboud University put an unused bike park in the Spinoza Building at Joanna’s disposal for her bike-collecting campaign.

Victims

Szopinska-Tokov is studying for her PhD at the Donders Institute and is an active member of Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles. This foundation is based in Czechia, where goods such as medicines and clothes are often collected to be sent to the victims of natural disasters and of violence. ‘I wanted to do something for the foundation here in the Netherlands’, explains Szopinska-Tokov.

When the foundation heard about the victims of the volcanic eruption in Guatemala, the idea of collecting bikes in the Netherlands was born. ‘There’s surely no country more suitable than the Netherlands?’

Shipped

All kinds of bike are welcome, in principle, from children’s bikes to traditional ‘granny’ bikes. ‘As long as they’re in working order’, adds Joanna. Cycling isn’t as popular in Guatemala as it is in the Netherlands, but it does provide a means of getting around. ‘It´s a way of improving the quality of life there.’ Another important aim of the campaign is to let the victims know that they have not been forgotten.

The bikes will be shipped from the Netherlands to Guatemala. The foundation hopes to keep track of where the bikes end up, so they can tell their original owners who the happy new owners are.

Anyone who has a bike to spare can get in touch with [email protected] until the end of October.