ESCUINTLA, Guatemala — John Berry, owner of Berry Fast Bicycles in Madison, Wisconsin, and a team of volunteers recently completed a two-week mission repairing over 100 bicycles in Guatemala, providing crucial transportation and recreation opportunities for communities in need.
Berry, along with his wife Bridgette and local cyclist Dale Ziebarth, focused their efforts on two locations: the Land of Hope and the Casa Angelina orphanage. The trip, undertaken in February, was organized through Leah’s Kids, a nonprofit founded by Chad and Jodie Larson of the Madison Eyecare Center, which has been facilitating humanitarian projects in Guatemala for two decades.
“We probably fixed around 120 to 130 bikes this year between the two locations,” Berry said. “Last year we fixed about 80 or 90 bikes, but the repairs were quicker. This year we had more time, so we were able to do better repairs.” The team arrived a week before other volunteers to maximize their impact.
Even as the core mission remained consistent at both sites, the Berrys observed stark differences in the living conditions and the state of the bicycles themselves. Casa Angelina, a well-funded orphanage, provided a stable environment and bikes generally requiring minor repairs like tire replacements or brake adjustments. Land of Hope, yet, serves a village adjacent to a large municipal landfill, where families rely on scavenging for survival.
“It’s a safe haven for the community,” Bridgette Berry explained. “They have a church, a soup kitchen, daycare and a medical clinic. Parents can drop their kids off there instead of taking them into the garbage dump.”
The bicycles at Land of Hope reflected the harsh realities of the community. Many were salvaged from the landfill and were in extremely poor condition, often missing parts or with severely damaged tires. “Kids will ride those things until the wheels fall off,” John Berry said. “If one of those bikes rolled into our shop here, we’d probably just replace it. Down there, we do everything we can to keep it rolling.” He noted that bicycles serve as essential transportation in Guatemala, even on mountainous terrain.
The team’s work extended beyond mechanical repairs. Bridgette Berry recounted a story of a woman who previously transported all four of her children on a motorcycle, but was now able to cycle alongside them after the family’s bikes were fixed.
Local support proved invaluable to the mission. Alejandro Hernández served as the team’s driver, guide, translator, and assisted with bike repairs. The Berrys also benefited from an unexpected connection with a fully equipped bike shop in Antigua, where owners provided a crucial replacement part when one was needed mid-mission.
On the final day of the mission, the repaired bicycles were presented to the children, an event John Berry described as “an incredible sight.” He added that one child expressed a desire to learn bike repair as a profession, making the entire trip worthwhile.
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