‘WITHOUT THE RIGHT TOOLS, YOUNG PEOPLE CAN’T GET THEIR JOBS DONE’

At Real Plumbers & Metal Fabrication in Jinja, Peter is the technical man behind the rental location. This company does more than just plumbing and metalworking jobs; it also provides training for vulnerable street youth in collaboration with the local organization Street Talents.

A part of the customer base for the rental location consists of former students who completed their training at Real Plumbers. “Boys who learned from us now rent the tools they need here to work independently,” Peter explains. “You can quickly save up for a hammer or a file, but a welding machine is a different story. Fortunately, they don’t have to turn down jobs anymore because they lack a welding machine.”

Peter adds that the lack of even the most basic tools, like a hammer or a file, can also be problematic. “If we have those in stock, they can rent them from us. We keep the rental price as low as possible. For 300 Ugandan shillings (about 7 euro cents) a day, you can rent a hammer or a file.”

The rental business is doing well; on average, Real Plumbers now generates about 350,000 Ugandan shillings (€75) per month from rental income. “With that, we pay the salaries of the staff at the rental location and the people who train apprentice plumbers and metalworkers here. The meals for the students are also paid for from the rental income. I am very happy with the results so far,” Peter says with a smile.

However, there are challenges. “A bottleneck is that sometimes we have to say no because we have too few or none of certain tools or machines in stock,” he explains. “If someone wants to rent a welding generator or a specific type of metal drill, and you’ve just rented out the last one, that’s frustrating. You don’t want to disappoint your customers.”

Despite these challenges, Peter remains motivated. “We are here to help the community and make a difference in the lives of these young people. With the right tools and support, they can build their future.”