Auto Repair Shop-in-a-Box

Auto Repair Shop-in-a-Box

You can be the ONE to help.

In order to understand how this great charity came to life, you must first know a little bit about The Jim Wilson Village of Hope.

The Jim Wilson Village of Hope began from compassion for orphaned and impoverished children. The Village is situated just outside Burkina Faso’s capital city of Ouagadougou. Together with dedicated local Burkinabe, numerous volunteer and church groups have worked to build this important facility. There are more than 260 children living at the Village of Hope, a place that now contains two school buildings, girl’s and boy’s dorms, staff accommodations, kitchen, playgrounds, a water well and more. Long-term goals include expansion to all grades, a vocational school, a Christian university and increased development of agricultural initiatives.

Many volunteers realized it isn’t just the work that is arduous; keeping essential tools and equipment maintained and repaired properly was equally challenging. These repairs presented specific challenges as the local parts store is not just down the street. Often times, pieces had to be fabricated or reworked and repaired to bring the equipment back to life. It made the volunteers think outside the box to complete the task at hand, including engaging the children of the village to help at times. They would hold a wrench, swing a hammer, or sand a surface to prepare for installation.

Out of this experience came the realization that the children have a true desire to learn, but needed the resources and training to provide that opportunity. After brainstorming ideas at the Village of Hope, a concept called “Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box” was born.

The majority of aid for the Village of Hope is shipped by sea from Canada to Africa in 40 foot containers. The Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box will be a complete auto repair and maintenance facility inside one of these types of containers. It will be outfitted with workbenches, welder, tools, air compressor, grinders, tire machine and balancer, diagnostic equipment, battery charger – everything needed to get the job done. There will also be two hoists placed in the container for mounting the Auto Shop on cement pads once it’s delivered on site.

This concept will encompass several major objectives:

1. Provide a venue for training the children to teach them a skill
2. Provide tools and resources to maintain the equipment at the village
3. Provide a future means of income for the village once training has been completed

Careforce International believes this unique and innovative concept can become a reality. Thanks to the support of Careforce International, a container that will become the Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box has already been purchased and delivered. Careforce International and Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box are now looking for monetary donations to cover all of the costs of outfitting, shipping and maintaining the Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box.

If you are interested in making a donation please contact Careforce International at (905) 639-8525. Tax receipts for monetary donations will be provided at year end by Careforce International.

You can also make donations online at the Careforce International website. Select Auto Shop-in-a-Box from the drop-down menu to ensure your donation goes to this worthy cause.