The   1980s   saw   one   of   the   worst   humanitarian   disasters   of   the   twentieth century.   In   1984,   famine   in   Ethiopia   left   over   one   million   people   dead   and   a further   eight   million   at   risk   of   starvation.   As   governments   and   individuals concentrated   their   efforts   on   emergency   relief   following   the   Live   Aid   appeal, a     group     of     friends     from     Buckinghamshire     got     together     who     were determined   to   provide   the   long-term   practical   assistance   the   people   of   East Africa needed to escape the cycle of poverty and rebuild their lives. Thus    began    a    ground-breaking    project    and    after    much    preparation    and hard   work,   Workaid   officially   opened   for   business   in   April   1986   and   formally registered   as   a   charity   soon   after.   From   humble   beginnings   Workaid,   now headquartered   in   Chesham,   has   built   a   network   of   Tool   Collection   Points   all over   the   UK,   and   has   over   275   volunteers   working   to   collect   and   refurbish donated   tools   and   equipment   needed   for   learning   a   trade,   which   are   then provided   to   vocational   training   projects   both   in   the   UK   and   in   East   Africa. The    charity’s    objective    is    to    empower    disadvantaged    people    with    the provision   of   tools   and   skills   and   with   no   government   or   endowed   monies   it is   nonetheless   able   to   assist   around   8,000   people   each   year   in   over   160 projects. Since   its   formation,   thanks   to   the   donation   of   over   56,000   individual   items to   projects   in   Africa   and   the   UK,   over   150,000   people   have   learnt   a   trade with   things   supplied   by   Workaid.   Donated   items   have   included   over   20,000 sewing   machines,   10,000   typewriters,   5,000   knitting   machines   and   13,000 toolkits.   Another   benefit   of   this   generosity   is   that   each   year   over   80   tonnes of   unwanted   tools   are   recycled   and   re-used   and   consequently   don’t   end   up in landfill sites! A    key    element    of    the    Workaid    ethos    is    that    they    work    hard    to    provide people   in   Africa   with   the   tools   they   want   as   opposed   to   what   might   Workaid estimates   might   be   required,   and   they   never   simply   send   money.   They   seek to   provide   tools   and   training   for   life   thus   giving   people   the   skills   to   become self-supporting.   Self-help   is   seen   as   a   key   driver   of   sustainable   development in East Africa. In   the   UK,   Workaid   offers   people   recovering   from   injury   and   adults   with learning        disabilities        a        practical        workshop        experience        in        a supportive/engaging   environment.   They   also   provide   tools   to   many   other UK-based   charities   working   here   and   abroad   who   have   goals   aligned   to their own. Each   year,   the   Workaid   Team   receives   hundreds   of   applications   for   tools and   equipment   from   groups   as   well   as   other   charities.   They   work   to   fulfil   as many   as   possible   but   are   constantly   seeking   new   volunteers,   donations   of tools,     equipment     and     funding     to     enable     them     to     continue     helping thousands   of   people   to   escape   the   cycle   of   poverty.   As   demand   grows   so does   their   impressive   list   of   achievements   and   they   are   a   great   place   to volunteer,   a   fact   reflected   by   the   Queen’s   Award   for   Voluntary   Service   in 2015.