by mark bender, iwilgo fore • man
When we are working in the field, one thing is very consistent…things break. In our compound in Haiti, everything from the roads, to the fuel we get, to the weather, are all a tremendous wear and tear on our vehicles in the compound were we work. Our generators, our primary source of electricity, must be kept in top notch working order. Even the bicycles need weekly work. As you can imagine, it is important to keep up with all of the maintenance and repairs as it’s not possible to just get a new one – and no auto parts retailer has decided to take the gamble to open a store in Haiti! A fair amount of my time in-country is dedicated to mechanics, balanced with the work we do to mentor 27 kids, launching them into successful futures changing the next generation of Haitians.
Carl, a 15 year old young man living in the Children’s Home in Haiti, wants to be the best mechanic in his town of Limbe. Even when I met him over a decade ago as young boy he loved to fix his bike, toy trucks, cars and tools. This past year, we have offered Carl the role of my Mechanics Apprentice. During the week, his top priority is school, and he takes his education very seriously. On the weekends, his 9 to 5 job is to work with me on everything and all things mechanical. We work together on preventive maintenance, and most importantly, fixing and learning how to work on things the right way. His abilities and knowledge have grown so much it is astounding. We have replaced clutches in our trucks, changed out injectors, fixed brakes and performed hours of preventative maintenance. He is becoming our go-to guy on all bike repairs and small fixes on the compound, and learning to think, think, think.
His enthusiasm is awesome!! Sometimes when I am ready to call it a day – He wont have it, he wants to keep GOing. Carl has much yet to learn, but is working towards being the Limbe Mechanic that he visions and dreams.
Come meet and work with Carl in Haiti – join us on a field trip to share your knowledge with the kids, mentor the kids, provide opportunities for the kids, and above all else, love the kids. Experience the local way of living in Kenya, Ghana and Haiti – changing the world along the way.