April Blog
May 3, 2024
As I write this month’s news letter I’m sitting in a bus heading from Project Canaan to the Johannesburg airport. This was not a planned
Follow Us :
It’s time for our monthly update from our Africa Field Director, Ross MacPherson, who is also our automotive trainer at Project Canaan in Eswatini Africa. But before we get to that, just let me update you on a couple of things.
First, the Lusito Training Center is rapidly taking shape. The ring beams have been poured, plastering is almost done, and the metal trusses have just arrived. Over the next couple of weeks, things will really begin to change.
Plus, the guesthouse project is also on schedule. During the month of August we had a fundraising campaign, and our goal of $10,000 to match our donor’s pledge was not only met, but surpassed by $250! So we were able to send a total of $20,500 to help meet our September payment. The final construction payment of $46,000 is due in October, and we are confident that God will help us meet that goal as well.
So now let’s get on to Ross’s update.
We are so grateful for him and his dedication to not only manage the automotive maintenance department at Project Canaan, but also to train and build into the lives of his staff.
Ross Report, August 2023
Time seems to fly by here and it hardly seems possible that I have been here four months already. In some ways I feel very productive but in other ways I feel that I am struggling to get a handle on certain things, such as when things don’t go as fast as I plan that they will. Just when I think that I am learning to relax and wait, I am overwhelmed by how much time a job is chowing up (you say chewing, we say chowing.) My friends this side tell me I need to make a plan, which is much easier for me to say than do.
This month has had a lot of routine work and not much in the way of challenging diagnosis or repairs. Lots of tire repairs and replacements as well as setting up maintenance schedules moving forward.
Lately we have been dealing with tyre (tire) management in order to get the most mileage out of our investments. The harsh African environment and roads take their toll on our tyres and any rubber components they come in contact with. We are balancing between getting the highest mileage out of the tyres and not having a roadside breakdown. So far we are winning.
Automotive Training
Using the NAPA Centre of Excellence program, we are going to move into Apprentice training for the next two months and then do a CARS evaluation to move the guys to the next level.
This past week Zama Maziya travelled to Matsapa to challenge his level three automotive trade exam. Level three is the entry level, and then the lower the number the higher the grade level.
The exam was long and intense. He left Project Canaan at 6 AM and did not arrive back until 7:30 PM, which included an hour of travel each way, making for a long day. The testing included theory and practical exercises on a broad range of automotive disciplines. They tested a number of students and now we await the results.
Parts are becoming easier to obtain with the help of Dudley Venner, who is our procurement officer in addition to his other duties. He is allowing us to concentrate on the repairs while he sources our needed parts in a timely fashion. This is very much a game changer for the shop.
Looking Forward
The new shop and house construction projects are progressing well and should be finished on schedule by November. Laurie is still finishing up our Canadian responsibilities and trying to sell our house. Hopefully things will get done quickly and she can join me before Christmas.
Today we celebrated our monthly accomplishments by having lunch together as a team. Pizza and KFC go well together and gave us some great conversations.
Some things are hard this side, but all in all it is very rewarding to be involved in making even small changes slowly.
As I write this month’s news letter I’m sitting in a bus heading from Project Canaan to the Johannesburg airport. This was not a planned
Most days the Lusito shop is running at full capacity! What a blessing this fantastic facility is to our work here at Project Canaan. Days
We all know how fast lightning hits, then is over. So did February here. In a flash we are already into March moving forward