Pass the “Mechanical Street” in the Ghobeiry district, on the southern outskirts of Beirut, which is filled with broken-down cars parked on both sides of the street. The area there is known for its abundance of car mechanics and their high skills. Especially after this route, women attend the Vehicle Maintenance Training Center to attend a course of their own to learn the basic principles of auto mechanics, sponsored by the Ghobeiri Municipality.
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It is the first of its kind in the region, so this course was very popular with women who wanted to get to know the world of auto parts, as the number of participants reached more than 50 women of different age groups, and more than 300 women on the waiting list. It is a remarkable result that exceeded expectations.
When they arrive, the trainees are divided into two lines and receive theoretical lessons before moving on to practical application in the basement. With great focus and seriousness, the women write down the information and ask questions and questions to the trainer with a high level of confidence, without being taken lightly.
Some of them imitate the sounds coming from their broken cars to identify its causes. They also ask about some of the warning lights that appear on the car’s interior dashboard, such as the red oil sign that warns of a problem with the car’s engine lubrication.
Their favorite part is applying their learning to cars. In the basement, or what is known as the “garage,” they don a special repair coat and thick gloves and begin to practice removing and reinstalling tires, changing the car’s oil, installing wipers, and inspecting the car’s interior. . from the engine to the lights.
Ambitious and persistent
Marwa Shmeis, 18, tells Al-Modo about her experience in the world of auto repair, having loved collecting and installing car parts and driving them since she was young. It is she who aspires to open her own garage in Beirut. To achieve her dream, she chose the mechanical engineering branch of the university, indifferent to the male nature that prevails in this field thanks to the support of her parents.
As for Mrs. Maha Kanj (31 years old), a married mother of two, she took part in this course because she regrets the financial exploitation women are subjected to by car repairers, who often accuse them of ignorance. . Maha is quick to apply what she learns in the course to her car outside the center. She also called on the organizers of this course to move to higher levels to gain wider experience. She told Al-Modon: “If I had the opportunity to emigrate outside of Lebanon, I would have no problem working in car repair. However, the issue is not without some difficulties that I face, especially when changing tires.” That requires a strong physical structure, but I managed it after a few attempts and it was not an obstacle for me.
Mrs. Al-Yassar Al-Zein (43) gets out of her car when it breaks down, so she discovers the problem herself and describes it to the car repairman, which arouses his surprise, so he curiously asks: How do you know this information?”, “Does your father work in car repair?”
She added to Al-Modon: “My acquired experience has become a threat to professionals and I will work to develop this knowledge in order to master it. A woman who drives a car must understand her car if she has an accident unexpected.”
As for the trainees, over the age of fifty, they want to teach their children this information so that they can be responsible when driving and they justify their participation in such courses with the need to know the axioms.
Experience and skill
Trainer at the Vehicle Maintenance Training Centre, Muhammad Saqr, says: “The objectives of this course are to acquaint women with the basic principles of machine repair, so that they can be confident and acquire high skills in machine repair. cars. and changing car tires.” Saqr told Al-Modon: “More than 300 women want to gain experience in repairing cars, but this great demand prompted those responsible for this work to think about intensifying of these courses so that the trainees can engage in the car repair job market in the future after receiving the necessary certificate.”
There is no doubt that the involvement of women in this field reflects the importance of holding similar workshops throughout Lebanon. Every woman has the right to be educated in different fields, just as she has the right to practice the profession she wants without being judged, as if she has come out of the mold of “female” jobs. And who knows, maybe soft hands are “best ever”.
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