Thame Rotary Tools Collection for Africa

THE Rotary Club of Thame is asking the local public to check their sheds and lofts and bring their old tools to the main car park near Montesson Square, near the Market House. The tool collection will take place on Saturday, May 20, from 9am to 1pm.

Every year the Rotary Club of Thame runs a collection point for unwanted tools. These are then taken to Tools for Self Reliance‘ s (TFSR) collection centre in Southampton. TFSR is a charity that refurbishes the tools and sends them to NGOs in Africa. All the tools sent to Africa are used to provide training and to equip trainees with their own start-up kits to set up their own businesses after completing training, not only in their chosen trade but in business management, financial, and life skills.

One such trainee is Mohammed Kanteh who lives in Sierra Leone. He has hearing difficulties and has never attended school, but wanted the opportunity to learn a trade and earn money to support his mother and five siblings. He took part in a Tools for Self Reliance training programme, in partnership with local organisation Mobility Sierra Leone, and learnt how to repair wheelchairs and bicycles. He is now part of a small business, along with some fellow graduates, and they are already planning how to use their profits to expand.

Items which can be collected include sewing machines, tools used for plumbing, carpentry, metalworking, building, bicycle repairs, shoe repairs and for repairing cars. Please note that no garden tools are accepted.

For more information visit www.thame.rotary1090.org or Thame Rotary’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/thamerotary