Suffolk Tools Help Africa

8 February 2010, 14:19 | Updated: 8 February 2010, 14:30

Suffolk Police are supporting local charity Tools With A Mission (TWAM), by collecting tools seized as a result of crimes in our county.

The tools are being donated to the charity to be redistributed amongst developing countries.

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Bernie Morgan has been collecting the discarded tools and presenting them to the local charity, who then polish them up and ship them out to countries that would benefit from this aid.

He said, “This is the third significant delivery that I have made on behalf of the Constabulary. The tools have got no evidential or monetary value and they’ve all been subjected to a forensic examination.  It’s great to turn something bad
- like crime - into something good.

“The concept of this registered charity, which is based in Ipswich, is fantastic - it enables people in places like Uganda and Zambia to earn a living and to support themselves. It provides the means to transform from aid dependency to self sufficiency”

“We’ve all got old tools lying around which we never use anymore so I’d like to invite everyone not to throw them away but to give them to Tools with a Mission.”

TWAM have run projects such as ‘Mechanics for Africa’ and ‘Able Children’.  They supply tools from simple carpentry kits to full workshop kits, from hand sewing machines to light industrial machines.

All the equipment is refurbished to a high standard ready to be used in vocational and training centres to enable people to learn a skill. On completion of their training the students are provided with a complete tradesman's kit or tailoring kit.  A full list of the tools they would like to be donated can be found on their website.