MAINTENANCE SHOP:
Firstly, the automotive maintenance shop is now up to window height of the first floor, where work has halted due to lack of funds to purchase further building supplies. Our goal is to return early next year to finish the shop project, but to do so will require further fundraising.

If you would like to know more about how you can donate to this important training and maintenance facility, please follow this link to the SAM Ministries Project page.

Mozambique Maintanence Shop & Training Center

Repair pit, now ready for use

WOOD LATHE PROJECT:
The long-awaited wood lathe has now arrived and been installed by Swiss volunteer, Matthias Gasser. Our goal is to have a trained instructor return to Mozambique as soon as possible to complete the planned training program with this great piece of equipment. We will keep you updated as plans progress on this front.

Matthias Gasser and the wood lathe donated through the efforts of John Topham of the Summerland Rotary Club.

For more information on how you can be involved with the work of Mercy Tech Mission, please contact Rick Cogbill at rick@mercytechmission.com.

MERCY TECH MISSION: CHANGING LIVES, ONE SKILL AT A TIME

Automotive Training

Rick Cogbill will be at the SAM Ministries mission base (ASAM) for the months of April and May to continue the automotive training program begun in 2011 by the previous team.

Contributions to this trip, which includes buying tools for the students to use, can be made through the Mozambique Vocational Training Initiative.

Maintenance Shop Project

Repair pit for new Maintenance Shop

Work will also continue on the new Maintenance Shop. With the foundations already started and the repair pit now built, Rick’s goal will be to pour the concrete floor and start building the block walls. The projected cost of building this six-bay shop is $50,000.

To date, we have raised over $13,000 for this project, leaving $37,000 to go. Please helps us complete this major project with a donation that can be made here.

*NEW* Wood Lathe Project

This is a new joint project by Mercy Tech and the Summerland Rotary Club.

Joining Rick in Mozambique for the month of May will be rotarian John Topham, a master woodcrafter from Summerland, BC. John has arranged for the donation and shipment of a top quality woodturning lathe to the ASAM farm.

During his stay, John will be teaching his students how to safely operate and maintain a wood lathe, so that they can create wooden bowls, toys, and small furniture for local use as well as for sale.

We are thrilled to have John joining us, and the new skills that he will bring to the young men in Mozambique will be life-changing. Thanks also to the Summerland Rotary Club for their generous donation of $3,000.

Gabriel & Pindurai are two of the young men who will be learning new skills on the wood lathe

 If you would like to contribute towards the cost of delivering & setting up the lathe, you can make a donation through the Vocational Training Initiative, with a note saying “Woodturning Project”.

Todd Green teaching 1st year students in Mozambique

The August 2011 trip to the ASAM mission base in Mozambique went very well. In four weeks we were able to start our automotive training program, where Todd Green’s amazing teaching skills made the morning classroom sessions a great success. The afternoon hands-on sessions benefited from Ed Hyslip’s (as well as Todd’s) many years of experience in the automotive trade.

Mozambique Brake & Muffler!

A big note of thanks to Tim Spurlock of CDX Automotive for donating some amazing teaching materials that made our teaching sessions are real success. As well, Toshiba Canada donated a laptop computer that not only worked great for the teaching sessions while we were there, but was left behind so that the students can continue learning on their own.

Motor Manuals library

Also thanks to John Lypen, Editor of Motor Magazine who arranged the donation of a Motor Manuals library that we could leave onsite.

And the funds donated by many, many personal supporters allowed us to purchase some quality hand tools in South Africa and use them in the training course. These tools were also left onsite and will be part of the new maintenance shop, once it is completed.

Roughing out the repair pit

Speaking of the shop, I was able to concentrate my efforts on moving the maintenance shop project forward. The foundations had been dug and poured, but the slab for the main floor was on hold because the infloor repair pit had yet to be built.

Shaping the pit by hand

So after I roughed out the repair pit hole with the backhoe (and dug the drainage ditches and dry well), the workers took over and shaped the pit, installed the drain, poured the floor, and began building up the pit walls. With that project now complete, work can move ahead on the rest of the building.

Peter building the repair pit walls

Now that we are home it’s time to continue raising funds to complete the maintenance shop, as well as recuit more volunteers for our next trip out to Africa. Our goals are to continue the training program with a few experienced mechanics or automotive trainers, and to continue working on the various building projects, including the maintenance shop.

Students from the first ever automotive training class on the ASAM farm

If you would like to be involved in the ongoing work of Mercy Tech Mission, either as a volunteer or a financial supporter, then please contact me at rick@mercytechmission.com. There are many opportunities for individuals as well as businesses and organizations to become involved in taking skills training to Africa. Your help does make a difference!

And now I’d like to share a short video that summarizes our August experience. Enjoy!

The Maintenance Facility construction has begun, although additional funds are still needed to complete the building, as well as fit it with the necessary tools and equipment.

The Mercy Tech team travelling to Mozambique this August is as follows:

Mission Director Rick Cogbill

Automotive Instructor and Journalist Todd Green

Former technician and shop manager Ed Hyslip

Check out the photo gallery of our trips to Africa.

Rick Cogbill & Bob Denesiuk arriving in Seattle Airport

Mercy Tech Mission has just successfully completed its initial trip to Mozambique, and after more than 30 hours of flying in airplanes both large and small, Rick Cogbill and Bob Denesiuk are now safely back home with their families. Although we count the mission as a success in terms of what we hoped to accomplish in the short time that we had, there is obviously much more that remains to be done at this site. (You can visit our Travel Blog to catch up on the details of our trip)

To that end, Mission Director Rick Cogbill is planning a return trip to the ASAM farm in Mozambique in August of this year. Along with Automotive Trades Instructor Todd Green (and possibly others), Rick will be overseeing the beginning of an official trades training program, geared at providing mechanic’s training for local men in this area. Work is presently underway to develop curriculum that will be relevant and meaningful to the people of Mozambique.

Foundation for Maintenance Shop - ASAM farm, Mozambique

It is also our hope that in the intervening months, work can also continue on the Automotive Maintenance Shop at the ASAM farm. The foundations have been dug, but work can only continue if funds come in for building materials and wages for the local labour. It is estimated that $50,000 is needed to complete the main structure of this 14 x 16 metre building, capable of handling up to six vehicles at one time. (See more details here)

If you would like to contribute to this important project that will enable us to provide much-needed skills training in Mozambique, then please visit our Donations Page. There you will find links to SAM Ministries, who host our Mercy Tech Volunteer Teams in Mozambique.

Funds are also needed for the ongoing travel costs (such as the upcoming August Trip), and donations can be made by following this link to the Mozambique Vocational Trades Training Initiative. 

Mercy Tech Mission welcomes individual support and involvement, as well as that from service clubs and other charitable organizations. It is also our goal to create interest in the trades industries, be it building, automotive, or otherwise to take part in something that can change our world.

Here is a unique opportunity for service companies and corporate sponsors alike to assist in providing skills training for those who don’t have the advantages that we enjoy here in North America. It’s a way to give back for all the help that we’ve received over our lifetimes, training that has enabled us not only to pursue a career that we enjoy, but to support ourselves and our families as well. In many parts of the world, these opportunities just don’t exist.

Please consider how you can make a difference in someone’s life. Mercy Tech Mission – Skills With a Purpose.

Training Centre, ASAM Farm Mozambique

Bob Denesiuk studying truss plans

Rick has been diagnosing some ailing vehicles for the mission, as well as working on setting up an automotive repair training program, something we hope to begin in a follow-up visit in August of 2011. Towards that end, work has already begun on the new Maintenance Shop which Rick has designed for the mission. Some initial funds have come in for this project, so the ground clearing has begun in anticipation of more people and organizations partnering with us, so that this important facility can be completed.

Rick Cogbill standing at the corner peg of the proposed maintenance shop

Mercy Tech Mission – Skills with a Purpose

The first is called Mozambique Vocational Skills Training Initiative, which will cover traveling expenses for those travelling out with Mercy Tech Mission to enable construction and vocational training at the ASAM farm in Mozambique.

The second is the Mozambique Maintenance and Training Center. The goal of the project is to “assist in the construction of a maintenance workshop which will facilitate the training of our sponsored children in mechanical skills as well as serve the mission in the maintenance of its vehicles.” A visualization of the Maintenance Workshop can be seen in this earlier post.

Those who would like to contibute to these projects can do so by visiting the SAMM Donations page. Cheques can either be mailed to the address below, or you can use the convenient Donations Button on the donation page. Just locate the project that you’d like to contribute to on the drop-down menu provided.

Receipts for tax purposes will be issued either by SAM Ministries or by CanadaHelps, depending on your donation method.

Skills with a Purpose

You can mail your donation to:

SAM Ministries Inc.
3715-85 Street,
Edmonton, AB.
Canada, T6K 3R9

Mark your gift either Mozambique Vocational Skills Training Initiative or Mozambique Maintenance and Training Centre.

Please note that a second trip is already being planned to Mozambique in August, 2011, to continue working on these projects, as well as begin some formal trades training. If your gift is specifically for this second trip, then please mention “August Trip 2011” in the Message/instructions box on the donations page, or on your cheque.

Thank you for considering involvement with the work of Mercy Tech Mission. All of us working together can make a difference on the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

We leave February 21st and will be working at the ASAM farm until March 28th.

Travelling with me will be Bob Denesiuk, a local building contractor and carpenter, who will be loaning his considerable expertise to the current building projects already underway at this location, primarily the Training Centre and the Mercy Air house (you can read more about these projects through the blogs of Dwight and Lynn Lagore).

Training Centre Foundation Wall

Mercy Air House Mucombeze

Along with helping with any mechanical repairs (and assisting on the buildings as needed), one of my own goals is to continue with plans for the Mozambique Maintenance and Training Center, mentioned in my last blog. I will also be working on the future skills training program that we would like to see take place at this location, a potentially long-term program that will see local people trained in usable skills and trades.

More about that in the days ahead…

So lots to do in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted, and remember that you will be able to follow my travel blog for the trip at http://www.mydustyshoes.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for considering involvement with the work of Mercy Tech Mission. All of us working together can make a difference on the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The goal is to create an apprenticeship program for future mechanics, where this shop will provide workspace for the practical training sessions, while using the training centre (also located on the ASAM farm) for the classroom sessions. Professional automotive instructors from Canada are currently working on training materials and course structure, and a Mercy Tech Team will be travelling to Mozambique in August, 2011 to begin teaching the initial segments of a course in automotive mechanical repair.

Artist's conception

Pictured here are preliminary drawings of the proposed maintenance shop. Early estimates for building the basic structure with local help and materials are around $50,000 CDN.

UPDATE May 2011: To date, about $3600 has been raised for the project, and construction on the foundations has begun.

Outfitting the shop with equipment will come later once the building is completed. A further $25,000 is estimated to buy quality repair equipment, as well as hand tools for the students and staff.

Donations towards this important building can be made through SAM Ministries via the information on their Donations Webpage.

If using the Donate Now button, please select the Mozambique Maintenance and Training Centre from the drop-down menu provided.

View Floor Plan: 14×16 Shop Floor Plan A

Larger donations can be mailed directly to SAM Ministries at:

SAM Ministries Inc.
3715-85 Street,
Edmonton, AB.
Canada, T6K 3R9

Receipts for tax purposes will be provided from either SAM Ministries or CanadaHelps, depending on your donation method.

Thank you for considering involvement with the work of Mercy Tech Mission. All of us working together can make a difference on the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Sideview cutaway

Overhead cutaway view