An update on the Mechanics Beyond Borders project
Back in the mid-fifties, my dad was a service manager of a Reliant dealership: “A three wheeler as used by Mr. Bean!”
I was eight when I started going to the workshop with my dad and it was hard to keep me away. It was a small shop with three mechanics. The cash register was a wooden box with brass handles, and on Fridays my dad would take out the cash, pay the mechanics, and if there was any money left over it was a good week.
Bearing this in mind, it should not have surprised me to find out that this is how they often run workshops in rural Uganda: there are no flat rate books, and productivity and efficiency are terms not recognized.
In some situations the mechanic makes a deal with the customer, keeps 50 per cent of the labour and gives the rest to the owner. On other occasions, the owner takes the money from the customer and gives the mechanic his percentage straight away. It is tough trying to fathom a system that is totally fluid.
As you’ve read in previous issues of Canadian auto dealer, I am spearheading a new project called Mechanics Beyond Borders, which tries to bring vocational training in automotive service and repair to the developing world.
The goal of the first phase of this project is to build four fully operational service bays, with a vocational training classroom attached, which will generate sufficient money to fund the training, making this project self-funding. Currently the available training, based on a 1960’s curriculum and containing 90 per cent theory, is out of reach for most kids. To the best of my knowledge, no one has built a self-funding vocational training project.
Why Uganda?
While Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world, the good news is that the government is open to any help we can offer.
Why Kabale?
Kabale is one of those areas that NGOs seem to pass by. It is a market town and a transportation hub about 400 kilometres south west of Kampala, the country’s capital, near the northern border of Rwanda. Facilities for servicing and repairing vehicles are very limited.
Who are we working with?
After searching for many years we found an organization called Kigezi Healthcare Foundation, run by Dr. Geoffrey Anguyo. This is a grass roots organization that really makes a difference in people’s lives.
How can it become self funded?
We intend to build a four-bay, fully staffed and operational service department along with a vocational training facility. The bays will finance the training and the students will benefit from hands-on experience.
Is it a registered charity?
Yes, tax receipts will be issued by Change for Children, another first-class organization.
For more information you can look at www.mechanicsbeyondborders.com, www.kihefo.org and www.changeforchildren.org
How is it going so far?
We have almost raised enough money to buy the land. Uganda is currently experiencing inflation rates of up to 30 per cent, due to tough economic times and a recent drought that affected food production, so prices have soared. Bearing that in mind, here is a breakdown of of the costs (in Canadian dollars): Purchase of approximately four acres of land ($10,000); building costs ($40,000); professional fees, land surveyor, structural engineer and quantity surveyor ($10,000); and the cost of shipping donated equipment in a container ($20,000). This totals $80,000. All we need more is a few more generous people to get involved.
How much need is there for vocational training?
To say the need is desperate would not be an exaggeration. On my last trip, I visited a family being taken care of by Rosemary, the grandmother. Both her sons and one daughter-in-law had died from AIDS and one grandson is HIV positive.
They all sleep on a dirt floor. I talked to the children and they are all doing well at school and working hard, despite the lack of post secondary education. They have not given up on their dreams so neither should we.
Yes, I am a realist and know we can’t change the world, but with the help of some of my automotive colleagues, we can make real, positive changes in a few young lives.
