Tools for Self Reliance
Tools for Self Reliance aims to reduce poverty in Africa by helping people build sustainable livelihoods through the provision of tools and training.
TFSR provides refurbished tools to developing countries in Africa. They also train volunteers in UK to repair and maintain items such as sewing and knitting machines.
FUM's FDCs have benefited several times over the past years from the visit of a sewing-machine technician trained by TFSR.
Prior to acquiring the sewing machines provided by Workaid the FDC machines were locally sourced, Chinese-made ones of poor quality. They often broke down. With almost no skill available locally to repair them many were unusable.
In 2011 Alice Roucoux from TFSR spent two weeks in Tanzania, funded by FUM, visiting our FDCs.
By cannibilising parts from some machines Alice was able to bring nearly half of them back to life.
Alice also gave training to local tailors in how to maintain their machines.
You can read Alice's full report on page 11 of Autumn 2011 Newsletter.
For the future even the high quality Singer and Bernina machines from Workaid will need overhauling and we are anticipating another technician to visit in 2016.