Supporting young people in Africa to build sustainable livelihoods
We are a charity based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire empowering young people in Africa (and the UK) to help themselves by developing the skills and knowledge needed to find gainful employment or start their own business. We do this by refurbishing donated tools to a high standard and shipping them to training centres and self-help organisations. In 2015 we received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
To get involved you can volunteer, donate your tools or give a virtual gift to change a life.
MAKE A DONATION
Make a Donation
Make an online donation, or buy a Workaid Gift. Just £5 per month for a year enables us to send a sewing machine, 2 haberdashery kits and cover the cost of shipping to a vocational training centre in Africa.
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VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME
Volunteer your Time
Join our team of volunteers at The Old Boot Factory in Chesham.
Share your skills and make new friendships. All you need is enthusiasm.
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DONATE YOUR TOOLS
Donate your Tools
Change lives by donating your unwanted tools, equipment and haberdashery items.
Each year 80 tonnes of tools are saved from landfill, refurbished and sent to vocational training projects in East Africa and the UK.
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What we stand for
Since our foundation in 1986, over 186,000 lives have been changed. Every year we send enough tools to help 9000 people learn the skills they need to help themselves out of poverty.
Our mission is to enable young people in Africa to build sustainable livelihoods.
Our vision is for a world in which all young people are able to achieve full and productive employment.
What we have Achieved
Our first container went to Kenya in 1994 and we now send 8 containers a year to East Africa containing 80 tonnes of equipment supporting over 180 projects.
A breakdown of machines shipped includes Sewing Machines (23,629), Knitting Machines (3,719) and Typewriters (9,978). Tool kits include Carpenter’s (6,318), Mechanic’s (1,310), Mason’s (1,650), Electrician’s (703), Plumber’s (454), Leather worker’s (715), Horticultural kits (2,062) plus a range of larger miscellaneous equipment such as turret drills and lathes (9,258).
Our group of volunteers continues to grow but so do our plans, so to help us change lives why not volunteer today?
Stories from the Field
Simon is en route to Zambia
We are pleased to inform you that container Simon is en route to Zambia. It goes without saying that our volunteers have been working tirelessly to prepare this container. Meticulously sorting, picking and packing [...]
International Day of Rural Women
For 2020's recognition of International Day of Rural Women, the focus is on building women's resilience in the wake of Covid-19. It cannot be stressed enough the importance at this time of recognising global [...]
World Youth Skills Day
It's World Youth Skills Day! Which is particularly important this year as the world grapples with uncertainty regarding the future. In 2015, youth unemployment was recorded at 13.1%. That is a staggering 73.4 million [...]
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