Tools for Malawi

My Dad, George Goudie, was a tremendous engineer. In his garage he accumulated a treasure trove of tools, components, and other potentially useful bits and pieces, that most people would just have considered so much junk.

So after he died earlier this year the time came to clear out his garage.

I couldn't throw out his tools. Perhaps it was the genes I inherited from my father, or maybe my former career as an electronics engineer. Together they wouldn't let me throw out so much stuff that still had so much much potential, not even to the metal recycling at the dump. So I kept them - in my own garage!

I think I keep in my head a range of potentially useful information, a bit like my Dad kept tools and other stuff. I vaguely remembered hearing of an organisation that refurbished old tools and sent them to people in other countries where they are not able to obtain new tools themselves. I would try to track them down.

All that was back in April and May, and the tools were still lying in my garage in mid-July. A few weeks ago, when Liz and I had a few days holiday, we were at The Lot in the Grassmarket for lunch. The food was excellent (as usual :-) and there was also an interesting range of artwork on the walls (also as usual). The artwork was from a group that helps disabled people to express themselves, to develop useful skills, and to find work opportunities.

This group is called Garvald Edinburgh - and the information sheet at The Lot said that one of their areas of work is called Tools for Self Reliance.

The Garvald Edinburgh Tools for Self Reliance workshop in Gorgie Road refurbishes hand tools donated by members of the local community, retired trades people, Churches, Rotary Clubs etc. Currently the Edinburgh workshop puts together shipments of tools and hand-operated sewing machines, with support from other TFSR groups across Scotland, and ships them to Malawi.

The tools and sewing machines are much appreciated and provide disabled people in Malawi the opportunity to support themselves.

I am pleased that my Dad's tools will carry on being useful and will help people in Malawi. If you have tools, or a hand-operated sewing machine, that you don't need any longer, perhaps you would let Garvald Edinburgh put them to good use once again.