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Mission accomplished – bulldozer on its way to Kenya.

Thanks to Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, a brand new D6K bulldozer and ripper are on their way to an organization that helps orphaned street children in Kenya. A ceremony was held at the Toromont Caterpillar dealership in Kanata on June 13 to unveil the bulldozer and officially send it on its way. Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, who co-chaired an initiative to raise funds for the equipment, attended the ceremony along with union members from the Ottawa area, OETIO staff from Morrisburg and provincial cabinet ministers. The equipment is destined for the Mully Children’s Family (MCF) orphanage in Kenya. It’s being shipped from Montreal and should arrive in Mombasa in August. From there, the equipment will be taken to Nairobi and the blade will be re-attached to the bulldozer. The equipment will be used at MCF facilities in Eldoret, Ndalani, Kangundo and Yatta.
The bulldozer and ripper will be used to excavate dams to hold rainwater, build additional fish ponds, clear land for greenhouses, and build roads and other developmental projects. Toromont Caterpillar is shipping the equipment and Crossroads Inc. is paying for the transport. The equipment was purchased with approximately $170,000 raised during a gala dinner held at the union banquet hall in April. Gallagher told those attending the unveiling that the MCF is a very important and worthwhile humanitarian organization and Local 793 was glad to be able to lend a helping hand.
Although the fund-raiser was a huge undertaking, Gallagher said Local 793, along with other building trades and unionized contractors in Ontario’s construction industry, pulled through to make it a success. “I am very pleased that Local 793 was able to organize such a very successful and worthwhile fund-raiser for the Mully Children’s Family Foundation. The knowledge that a D6 bulldozer will be put to work in Kenya for the children in these orphanages, giving them opportunity and hope, is truly miraculous.”
Local 793 got involved in the project after MPP Flynn introduced Gallagher to Charles Mulli, who founded the orphanages in Kenya.
Mulli came from a poverty-stricken family in the African country. He was abandoned at an early age and left to fend for himself by begging on the streets. He eventually grew to be a wealthy man, but then one day decided to sell his holdings and turn his attention to helping street children in his homeland. “Here is a man who was self-made and was an orphan himself and gave everything up at one point in his life and poured it into establishing orphanages in Kenya,” Gallagher said. “To see an individual like Charle take on that challenge and rescue these children is really a good story.” MPP Flynn told those attending the ceremony that the equipment is going to Africa because of the efforts of Gallagher and the operating engineers. “It just proves what Ontarians can do when they work together,” he said. Flynn said he’s seen first hand the tremendous work being done by the MCF in Kenya to give children a chance at a better future. “The organization indicated that a bulldozer would be a tremendous help to them and enable them to do even more. I’m very thankful to everyone who helped raise funds to secure the equipment and ship it to Kenya.”
Ontario Labour Minister Brad Duguid congratulated Local 793 on the fund-raising initiative and said the operating engineers can always be counted on to help. “This is yet another example, Mike, of you guys just coming to the table and doing the things that you do time and time again when you’re called upon. “It really reflects the spirit and dedication of your members who I know care deeply about this project and care deeply about what they do here in this province and the contributions that they make.”
Ontario Public Infrastructure Renewal Minister David Caplan also praised Local 793, noting the bulldozer is a “special gift” because it will help the orphanages for many years to come. “The generosity of spirit, the fellowship, the compassion that Mike and the operating engineers show, the leadership of my colleague Kevin Flynn, that’s what inspires me to see these things happen here, and now we’re seeing them happen abroad.”
Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, also attended the ceremony.