Often the value of a garbage truck is not apparent until it’s no longer there. Lengthy processes for procuring spare parts from abroad, and the urgency with which vehicles such as garbage trucks are required to be operating in refugee camps in Jordan, has pushed the UNRWA vehicle maintenance team to become more ingenious.
“I cannot sit back and wait three months for spares to be bought as garbage piles up in the camp. I risk my children getting sick,” Yousef, a UNRWA mechanic, explains.” I have to get creative and find ways to fix the truck using any locally-available spare parts, as long as they meet the workshop’s safety standards.”
According to Sameeh the Maintenance Workshop boss, Yousef’s innovation has done more than just get the trucks get back on the road more quickly. “Apart from the sometimes lengthy procurement processes, at times it costs the agency 10 times more to purchase, ship and to clear spare parts through customs”.
Qusai, another mechanic in his early 30s, has developed a technique that outmaneuvers recurrent breakdowns in the steering wheel columns of UNRWA cars. Frequent short-circuits in the alternators previously caused the vehicles’ electrical systems to shut down – making it impossible to start the cars’ ignition systems. “Instead of having to buy entire alternator systems, Qusai has found a way to replace the problematic coil located inside the alternator using another locally available coil,” Sameeh explains. “What is more”, he adds, “although the locally procured coil costs five times less, it offers a much longer service life.”
When asked why he uses his personal computerized engine diagnostic tool to repair UNRWA vehicles, the soft spoken Qusai reveals, “UNRWA budgets would be outstripped by the need to buy new diagnostic tools for every model of vehicle the agency acquires, and moreover, the money UNRWA saves can help support my children, who attend UNRWA schools and benefit from the Agency’s healthcare services.”
Field Procurement and Logistics Officer Francesco cannot agree more. “By adopting a safety-cautious, repair-based approach, and by minimizing the ‘just replace it’ mentality, UNRWA mechanics undertake innovations that save the agency thousands of dollars in vehicle maintenance costs annually.”
From fixing broken gear boxes, to resurfacing worn-out brake disks and maneuvering complicated vehicle electrical and electronic systems, the dollars saved by the innovating mechanics team can be reassigned to support Palestine refugees. “UNRWA staff including; mechanics, teachers, health and social workers, programme officers and managers, daily undertake assignments beyond their call of duty, in order to provide quality services to Palestine refugees in Jordan. Your contribution is valued and appreciated”, remarked Roger Davies, the Director of UNRWA operations in Jordan. “Today, we honour the mechanics at the maintenance workshop,” he added.