The Lady Mechanic Initiative - "Welcome to the official website"

Lady Mechanic Initiative(LMI) a non profit organization was set up to train young ladies in auto mechanic profession to support sustainable livelihoods).

LMI was founded in Nigeria by a young Lady of immense potentials, Sandra Aguebor- Ekperuoh, who became a Young Lady Mechanic at the age of 14 years. She set up the organisation to promote a sustainable positive change in the socioeconomic circumstances, by recruiting, training and empowering poor and vulnerable members of the society. LMI is also committed to entrepreneurial skill building as panacea for Nigeria and indeed, Africa development. To this end, LMI mobilize broad of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Street Children, Refugees, widowed women, ex convicts, out-of –school youths, deportee sex workers etc and equip with skills to become female auto mechanic especially people in hard to reach communities to initiate, design and implement programmes (special poverty alleviation programmes) that results in sustainable improvement in their well-being as well as facilitates their reintegration into the mainstream society.

The women do not only find a job, they also have more self esteem and are healthier. And it’s not only the girl that benefits from the training; it’s also her family, partners, friends, and the environment. It’s all about the life of the young Nigerian ladies!

The trainees are trained at the Sandex car care workshop, which is the workshop of the founder and ten other workshops across the city of Lagos which we call Pay & Train centres.
Through the love for women empowerment, Sandra the founder of this unique organisation and the first Lady mechanic in Nigeria have trained and graduated sets of girls and one refugee boy through the income generated from her Auto Garage Sandex Car Care.

Currently the initiative is empowering and training 75 young ladies in Auto Mechanic profession as skill acquisition to create wealth, 50 of theses young ladies are in third year looking forward to graduating in August 2009. LMI aim to train 36,000 women of Nigeria and across Africa over the years.

Vision: Investing in the female gender of Nigeria.

Mission statement: Empowering women in auto mechanic skills as a profession to create wealth for a sustainable source of livelihood.

Sandra Aguebor- Ekperuoh

The First Lady Mechanic in Nigeria

Founder Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI)

MD/CEO Sandex Car Care Garage

ASHOKA Fellow (Washington DC USA)

Sandra Aguebor- Ekperuoh, Robert Kokoma, a native of Benin city, Edo state, The First Lady Mechanic in Nigeria (Sandra Aguebor) was born in the 70s into the family of late Mr. &Mrs. R.A Aguebor. She attended Ivbiotor Primary School, St Maria Goretti Grammar School in Benin, later to Benin Technical College for further technical skills and finally a graduate from Auchi Polytechnic, all in Edo state, She also had a degree from The GOETHE INSTITUTE, a German school based in Lagos State.

She secured her first employment with Bendel Transport Service now Edo Line in Benin City, as officer in charge of maintenance and repairs in the workshop for three years, and later with Nigeria Railway Corporation in Lagos for another three years before deciding to be on her own. While on her own, she managed fifteen trucks for a haulage company that distributes confectioneries to the North and other parts of Nigeria.

A devout Christian, Aguebor says that God spoke to her through a series of childhood dreams and told her that she should become a mechanic. With no other mechanics in the family, her father initially scoffed at the idea, until he traveled to the US in the 1980s and saw women working in positions considered "men only" in Nigeria. Back in Nigeria, he gave her his full support, but her mother was not in support, because she was afraid of the physical challenges associated with the profession. Nevertheless, she forged ahead with her dream at the age of Fourteen years. Although her first "garage" was a patch of land covered with cardboard for shade, which was demolished by authority that did not deter her. Today she is a brewing success. She has always aimed high. An avid reader of self-help books, Aguebor encourages her girls to think big – and they do.

Sandra Aguebor- Ekperouh, is the Founder/CEO, Lady Mechanic Initiative, (a not-for profit organization set up to train young ladies in auto mechanic profession and wealth creation)
Over the past years, the NGO has achieved so much, with the project office situated in Ikeja area of Lagos state, Nigeria,

7 Girls have completed their full 3 year programme and are now gainfully employed within the auto-mechanic industry.
1 refugee boy trained and graduated March 17th 2006
50 trainees have completed their Foundation Year Programme (2007), 2nd year, SME programme & Industrial Training (2008), and are due to graduate in August 2009.
14 trainees sponsored by BENEFACTORS
15 young girls being supported by Eureko Achmea Foundation, Holland.
15 pay and train center partnerships established, these training centers carry Lady Mechanic Initiative stand designated specifically for the girls to maintain and ensure the presence of the initiative.
Established a partnership with Citi Serve Micro Finance Bank in collaboration with VIGEO to train three young girls
LMI also established contact with British women Group, Lagos, and they are training one young girl.
Trainees receive monthly lectures on mechanic operations and self help classes on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and its dangers and lots more.

ACHIEVEMENT AND RECOGNITION.

Some of her special achievements are:

Sponsorship to visit seven states in America by the U.S government in 2004 through the American consulate.
The BBC Web Site & BBC World News, The New York Times, The South Africa Broadcasting Cooperation, (SABC) South Africa, The CNN World News, the Voice of Africa, USA and the Christian Mirror, USA have shown a documentation on her.
Recognition by Emotan, celebrating the feminine virtue, African Nation Builders Gold award by Vision Africa
An award from Edo state Government for her Excellence in Mechanical Engineering.
An award from ASHOKA, as an ASHOKA FELLOW, an organization that rewards people that have rare innovations and initiatives, in Washington DC. USA. This gave her the opportunity to feature in the Global Book on Economic Empowerment published in Washington DC.
She won the ISPCAN Honorary Membership Award. Each year ISPCAN offers 50 new complimentary two-year membership awards to emerging leaders in child protection working in developing countries and countries in transition. (January 2008 – December 2009).
Featured on NTA channel 10 programme”ON the Road”, where she lectures and trains on tips for vehicle maintenance, every Saturday.
She also organizes and trains corporate drivers on fault finding and rectification to properly maintain the companies’ fleet of cars.
Has also featured by Communication for Change (CFC) a 30 minutes documentary, shown on DSTV (35 Countries in the world) this showed her innovations and attracted enthusiastic response.
Received an award from her state, by the Ministry of women Affairs and social development Edo state that marked the 2008 International Women’s day celebration in Benin city, Edo state, (theme Financing For Gender Equality And Women Empowerment) the award Nite was to recognize and appreciate some women of Edo state who have excelled in their different career and field of Endeavour as they serve as role models to the young ones.
She was selected as a Woman Actor for Leading Change and invited to take part in the 2008 Women’s Forum Global Meeting, held in Deauville, France, October 16th-18th.2008. She was the only Nigerian Lady Mechanic representative amongst all world women entrepreneur.

Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh, and few of the prospective graduates visited Yenagoa; Bayelsa state on invitation by the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State to Bayelsa State Government house, the outcome of the visit was an immediate response to start up the Lady Mechanic Initiative in Bayelsa State for 100 young girls of the state.
Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh recently visited the First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua in the State House Abuja, on the invitation by the First Lady to a private meeting. The upshot was the endorsement of the initiative and response to start up the Lady Mechanic Initiative in Abuja and her home state in Katsina and to other Northern States.

SPEAKER: WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

She participated as a speaker in some functions which included:

Think Tank meeting 2005 organized by ECOWAS, hosted by Nigeria, where all the ECOWAS Countries met at Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria.
She also was a speaker during the Scenario Based Strategy Development workshop 2006, organized by African Business Strategies, Netherlands, in cooperation with Phillips consulting and The Lagos Business School; this featured over 50 CEOs from reputable companies in Nigeria, held in Obudu Cattle Ranch Calabar and Social Entrepreneurship: Exchanging Global and Local Experiences organized by United Nations University and International Leadership Institute, held in Amman Jordan.
She was a delegate at the Common Wealth Business Strategy held in Abuja, Nigeria, Organized by United Nations Development Funds for Women, (UNIFEM)
In 2007, she attended the Women’s Peace Conference in Texas, USA where additional interest to support this great initiative was gained, Women from 60 countries attended this conference, Sandra was the only female mechanic present at the occasion, and she talked alongside others on Poverty and Migration.

PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT.

Sandra Aguebor- Ekperuoh has also received several visitors from within and outside Nigeria, some of which are; Clare Short of British House of Common (Parliament), Artics and Leaders Quest of Surrey, TW10 6RE, UK; Sheila Hlanjwa of Laithitha Wines, South Africa with plans of collaboration to take the lady mechanic initiative to Cape Town, South Africa and lots more.

Due to her uniqueness the Netherlands Government through Lagoon Hospital in collaboration with HYGEIA, “a health maintenance organization” nominated the Lady Mechanic Initiative for the community health insurance plan for all her trainees and families at little or no cost yearly.

Some other individuals and companies has also supported the organization, amongst which are,

MTN Foundation is her second break through after her training of 8 females and 1 refugee boy from Sierra Leone, MTN Foundation feel in love with her initiative and decided to partner with her; they have sponsored 50 trainees for 3 years.
She also broke the barrier of the Muslim Community “ISMUF group”, by also taking 12 of their women into training even with all their HIJAB outfits, they still partake in all training
Former First Lady of Lagos State Chief Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu. (Moral and Financial).
Former Ministry of Women Affairs, Lagos State (Moral support, Recognition, commendation)
Daisy Dajuma(Moral support, Recognition, commendation) ,
WOTCLEF, Abuja (Ensured Federal government support and recognition)
Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited, (PAN) Kaduna (Certified Training) The girls are usually sent to the plant to train for three month
Motor Plus Workshops (Partner in training and employment)
Transmission by Lucille, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Support & training partnership)
Carl bury Garage, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (donation of tools, training on diagnosing in motor vehicles)
CHEVRON, (Training partner, Employment and Financial)
Stephanie Balikos( donation of training tools and office equipments )
Commissioner of Police Lagos state, (moral and security support)
Sara Hindle, Portsmouth, UK (fundraising and volunteer) capacity building and donation of office equipments
Mr. Henry Omoragbon (BOT), donation of office furniture
Citi Serve micro finance bank and Vigeo Holdings
Started a partnership with VSO, where expertise in our area of concerns are brought with the support of VSO to help Fundraise and capacity building for LMI
Coscharis Motors, Lagos, (Certified Training) The girls are usually sent to the plant to train for three months
Established a health partnership with WAMCO Nigeria PLC, Friesland foods, where the health experts give the trainees monthly health talk and also donations of milk for trainees well being.

Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh recently visited the First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua in the State House Abuja, on the invitation by the First Lady to a private meeting. The upshot was the endorsement of the initiative and response to start up the Lady Mechanic Initiative in Abuja and her home state in Katsina and to other Northern States.

This young Lady Sandra is also the CEO/MD of Sandex Car Care, (specialist in maintenance, servicing of cars and sales of spare parts for cars), she maintains and services fleet of cars for MTN Communications, KAKAWA Discount house, Transocean, Alandick, Zenith Bank, Ikoyi Club, CNN News, BBC News, Games Shopping Complex, AIICO Insurance,World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations and lots of notable individuals.

SANDRA ALWAYS SAYS TO PEOPLE “When You Empower Somebody, You Are Building A Nation Economically, Socially Technologically In Which Crime And Social Vices Would Be Reduced”

The board members cut across different works of life:

Board members:


Chief (Mrs.) Titi Abubakar (Grand Matron)	Mr. Henry Omoragbon(Nigeria)	Mrs. Sandra Aguebor-Ekperouh Founder

Prof. Jemie Onwuchekwa	Mrs. Funke Osibodu	Mr. Theodore Ekperouh(Sweden)

Arch. Harris Igiehon	Mrs Evelyn Edawmen (Nigeria)
Hajia B.O. Tinubu
Bar. Kehinde Aina (Nigeria)
Stephanie Freckzo(USA)

General car care services

The training of young women to be auto mechanics enhancing them to create wealth for themselves, add value to the society and have dignity as women.

We also train women in the repair and services of generators, household water pumping machine and also in plumbing.

Training of corporate drivers and private individuals in acquiring basic auto mechanic skills to help them in cases of emergency.

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