A COWDENBEATH based operation is helping communities in Africa ensure that they can grow food and ensure self sufficiency.

Tools With a Mission is based at Woodend Industrial Estate in the town and is a charity which upgrades old tools of all types and sends them to parts of the world which need them.

Cowdenbeath Rotary Club heard on Thursday that TWAM has had its Cowdenbeath base for a couple of years now and volunteers repair all sorts of old tools and ensure these can be re-used in places such as Africa and Eastern Europe The guest speaker was Findlay Robertson, TWAM’s Scottish Manager, who said, “Tools with a Mission enables people to earn a living and to support themselves.

“In many countries of the world people have few skills, little education and no means of earning a living. A switch from aid dependency to self sufficiency is impossible without help.

“TWAM started thirty years ago, and has since then provided this help by collecting and refurbishing tools and equipment no longer required in the UK and sending them overseas.” The tools are gathered by sources in different parts of Scotland, who send them to Cowdenbeath where these are given a total upgrade before being sent to Ipswich from where they are dispatched all around the world.He said that the tools upgraded varied from carpentry, motor mechanics, builders bench and hand saws, lathes, drills, garden forks, spades, hoes and lawn mowers, among others.

“There is very little our team will not tackle although there are certain electric tools which are not suitable,” added Findlay.

“Africa is one of the main places we send tools to where many communities require the simplest of items to ensure that they can grow their own crops.” He added that as a charity TWAM needed to raise funds to maintain the service and was delighted to receive donations to ensure that the service provided by the organisation was maintained.