The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2015

Empowering young people in Africa through vocational training

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 refurbish donated tools to a high standard and ship them to training centres and self-help organisations.

Urgent Appeal

Our partner in Zambia is in need of a new premises and we need your help.

Our partner in Zambia has been given notice to vacate their current office premises in Lusaka, Zambia. We need your help to get the new site operational before March when Container Peter 1996 is due to arrive. To find out more click here…

Container Peter 1996 leaving for Zambia

By donating money, you help empower young people in Africa to gain skills through vocational training. It is easy to make a financial donation by paying online or via the post.

Donating your unwanted tools and equipment can change lives as well as having a positive impact on the environment. Every year over 80 tonnes of tools are saved from landfill and refurbished.

We always welcome new volunteers to join our friendly team at our workshop in Chesham. There are lots of opportunities available and full training is provided for all. 

Our Impact

In Africa

We believe that young people in Africa are the drivers of development and know the solutions to the challenges they face. We work with like-minded organisations to provide quality vocational training through the provision of tools, equipment and starter kits. These are used for training, which creates employment opportunities for young people, helping them escape poverty and promote sustainability.

Increasingly, we support vocational training organisations in Africa to refurbish tools and equipment such as the Kalwande project. We also fund comprehensive training for trainers in how to teach others to repair and service more complicated items such as sewing and knitting machines.

As an organisation, listening and learning is at the heart of all we do and as such we monitor and evaluate all our work and that of our partners in Africa. This enables us to make informed decisions about where to place our resources in order to achieve the greatest impact.

Where We Work

Stories

Meet Vesta and Roy

Vesta Zachari, Tailoring Student at Hakizetu

21-year-old Vesta lives with her seven siblings and their aunty. After dropping out of secondary school without any grades, she decided that she needed to take control of her life and find employment. Her aunty persuaded her to apply to Hakizetu and train as a tailor. 

Keep reading Vesta’s story here.

Roy, Sewing Machine Maintenance Instructor

Roy is a Zimbabwean national who operates a small sewing machine repair shop in Lusaka, Zambia with two other technicians. He completed a diploma in sewing machine repair and maintenance in Harare, Zimbabwe, where the course is highly regarded.

Keep reading Roy’s story here.

Recent News

News From Africa

Hakizetu

Hakizetu Hakizetu is a women and youth organisation based in the outskirts of Mwanza town in Tanzania. The organisation helps young women who are vulnerable or victims of

Keep Reading

Vesta Zachari

21-year-old Vesta lives with her seven siblings and their aunty. After dropping out of secondary school without any grades, she decided that she needed to take control of

Keep Reading

Container Gavin

Container Gavin was named by Robin, one of our long-serving volunteers. Over the past 18 years, he has dedicated his time to Workaid.

Keep Reading

Since Our Foundation In 1986, Over 190,000 Lives Have Been CHANGED

Our Achievements So Far

Our Impact

We work with like-minded organisations and place great value on ensuring these partnerships achieve maximum impact for young people in Africa. We are currently developing new comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems with all our overseas partners.

These will place emphasis on measuring how young people use the vocational skills they learn to escape poverty and drive positive and sustainable development in the communities in which they live.

Since Our Foundation

Toolkits Supplied
5000
Lives Changed
10000
Vocational Training Projects Supported
0
Sewing & Knitting Machines Supplied
10000