‘THEY CAN’T AFFORD A CIRCULAR SAW. SO THEY RENT IT FROM US’

Barbra Asiimwe, employee EQUIP Rental Workshop, Kampala Uganda

It is busy in the EQUIP tool rental workshop of Gered Gereedschap and Children Sure House in Bwaise, a district of Kampala, when we talk with Barbra Asiimwe. She has been working in the rental workshop for a year now and effortlessly sums up the range of tools and rental prices by heart: “We mostly rent out chisels. As well as bit braces and files. Electric sanders are also very popular. To rent these tools costs 15,000 UGX (€ 3.75) per day. Renting a circular saw machine costs 20,000 UGX (€ 5) per day. If a customer wants to rent a tool, he has to leave his national identity card here. He will get it back when he returns the tools”.

Necessity

We walk with Barbra across the workshop grounds where many carpenters are busy sawing planks and making all kinds of furniture, such as tables and beds. “Many carpenters from the neighbourhood come here to carry out or complete their jobs with tools rented from us,” she says. “Through word of mouth, our project has also become known outside the neighbourhood. More and more people from the wider region are now coming to us. Many craftsmen are unable to buy the tools they need for themselves. They can’t afford a circular saw. So they rent it from us. Every day I notice how much a project like this is necessary.”

Perspective

“Our clients are very diverse. Many carpenters who come here to rent tools are young people who have just finished their training, but there are also older carpenters who come here. Most of the carpenters that come here are male, but we also have some female carpenters as customers. All of them are in the same difficult situation: they don’t have enough money to buy the tools they need. With our rental project we help them out. I myself know very well how important it is to get help when you need it. Before I started here, I was unemployed. I was also in a difficult situation and had little hope for the future. By being able to work here, my life has regained perspective. So this project has helped me too!