Jeoffroy is a truly inspirational man who has never allowed the challenges of his disability to hold him back. Using a wheelchair can have challenges in any society, but in rural Zambia, with its uneven surfaces and a myriad of obstacles, it can be a nightmare.
Jeoffroy’s story could so easily be of a housebound young man lacking any opportunities. But he was never going to let that be his story. When Disabled Care Organisation opened in his community in Solwezi, Zambia, he was one of the first to join. The centre trains people with disabilities and also the families of children with disabilities. They teach tailoring, carpentry, knitting, metal fabrication, computing and electrical skills - all using toolkits and equipment from Tools with a Mission.
Jeoffroy joined the tailoring group fifteen years ago and since then has become a voluntary instructor. He keeps his own TWAM sewing machine in the centre and runs his own small business there. He tells us:
“I help the trainees to get skills and at the same time provide income generation for myself. I want to make sure that my life will make a difference and that I can do more and more.”
Jeoffrey proves that with determination, somebody seeing your potential and the gift of tools to make a difference, anything is possible. You can hear the passion in his heart as he shares with us:
“I like to work for an organisation that helps people, and I can work from here and do not have to pay rent. I am married to Giveness, and we both work at the centre. I have five children, and all are going to school. I hope one day I will be able to open my own training centre. Without this place, my life would not be so good and not easy for me.”
This is the real impact of tools in Africa - they empower people who previously thought they had no options. Thank you for helping us support Jeoffroy and his family to live a life worthy of his boundless enthusiasm and skill.