‘WITHOUT THIS REFURBISHING WORKSHOP, THEY WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME MAKING ENDS MEET.’

Tonny Ssali, Refurbishing workshop manager CSH, Mpigi Uganda

Nobody can say that Tony Ssali lacks perseverance and ambition. After high school he went to study economics and obtained his master’s degree. He also completed a post-doctoral course in pedagogy. Quite an achievement for a child from a poor Ugandan family. “Without the support of Children’s Sure House, I wouldn’t have been able to do all of that. They paid for my school education and my studies. And now I work here as a manager in Mpigi in the refurbishing workshop that Children’s Sure House set up together with Gered Gereedschap.”

Tony sits behind his computer and shows a picture of a container. “This is one of the two containers sent to us from the Netherlands by Gered Gereedschap. It contained all kinds of equipment and tools. Especially the machinery and tools that could be used to repair and refurbish equipment and other tools were important, because that is the primary purpose of this workshop: to refurbish tools for reuse. Most of the tools repaired here and prepared for reuse, are given to vocational schools and starting entrepreneurs.  A small part is rented or sold in Kampala. This pays for the costs of the workshop and the salary of the staff. We also cover the costs by making our own products.

In addition to a department for refurbishing tools, we  also have a tailoring department and a department for woodworking. We stand a good chance for making uniforms for government agencies soon, such as the police and schools in the tailoring department.  We are currently negotiating about that. Since Gered Gereedschap has also given us welding equipment and tools and equipment for car mechanics, we are in the process of setting up a welding workshop and a workshop for car repairs. We are in negotiations with the Ministry for Gender, Labour and Social Development about the possibility for our students to receive a certificate recognised by the government after their training with us. That’s right, we always keep going,” says Tony laughing.

“The door is open to everyone here. We want to give a chance to as many young people from this region as possible to learn a trade with us. For example, we also work together with the Ministry for Prisons. Young prisoners receive vocational training here, so that after serving their sentences they have a better chance of finding a normal  job and do not slip back into crime. Although this refurbishing workshop has only just opened, you can already see how important it is for the people in the area. Everyone actively involved in the workshop receives a salary from the proceeds of the rental and sale of the refurbished tools and equipment. This applies to the people who are refurbishing the tools, but also, for example, to the cooks. Without this refurbishing workshop, they would have a hard time making ends meet. Now they earn their money here. With their own hands.”