Thank you for your two replies. Your points have given me plenty to think about.
There are many hurdles and constraints in this proposed project, and it most certainly will not be anything like what one would expect the west. I will try to explain our constraints and differences.
1/ We are in a rural part of The Philippines, 100km south of super typhoon Haiyan's devastation 4 years ago yesterday.
2/ We are a small charity that was set up by myself and my wife following Haiyan. We rely on donations from around the world and we have no state funding. We have partners who sponsor each project we do. For instance, two weeks ago, we opened a soup kitchen for 25 malnourished children in a small village nearby. This is sponsored by a group in Ireland, and is expected to last 12 months at least.
3/ Volunteers: Our charity consists of a board of trustees and directors. We are all 100% volunteers. We do not even take money for expenses. Our only expenses is our yearly audited accounts, which our accountant (friend) does for about $200. Our attorney (friend) charged us nothing for the setting up of our non-stock, non-profit incorporation. The advantage of being registered are that we get free stuff, and double donations. It has enabled us to register with Benevity and Techsoup.
4/ Time: This project would not be full time as I run a small business and am building a house at present. At first I would be on my own, with the hope that some volunteers would help later on.
5/ Me: Software: Proficient at computers and a quick learner of most programs. I do not see any problems with me learning Fusion 360, after spending a few hours at it.
...........Mechanical: Although I am not wonderful when it come to metal, I am however a qualified carpenter/joiner from the 70's. Of course I have another 'friend' who is not much good at wood, but very good with metal. He will do any metal work I need for free.
6/ Funding: We do not actually have one peso of funding that is directly allocated to this project as of today. However we have one partner in Germany who is keen for us to do an computer related education program. Although not confirmed as I write, I think the initial budget will be 2,000 - 3,000 euro. In order to get funding, we need to have a proposed outline of the program itself. Having said that, this partner trusts me 100% and we met on one of our projects in north Leyte shortly after the super-typhoon
So bearing in mind the above conditions, we want to do a general understanding course in CAD/CAM & CNC mill. I would like to bring the students in on the building of the machine whilst we are learning the CAD/CAM. If we have a particularity bright student, we may be able to secure a mechanical engineering scholarship for him/her in one of the big cities. There is also a possibility down the line, that our students can make some money for their families as a livelihood program.
So my first thing would be to find a premises at nominal rent, put together 6 or 7 computer stations, install Fusion 360 only, and start teaching CAD followed by CAM. Autodesk has a huge knowledge network for the training of students. They have given me an email of a dedicated person to contact if in need of help. There is also lots of independent help and videos online for Fusion 360.
Then, there is the building of the router. Maybe we will build it from scratch over a period and make that part of the learning curve of both the students and myself. I could by the carriageways, bearing blocks and ball screws. The machine could be built around their size. Rather than use plans, I would like to build from my head, starting with making a perfectly accurate gantry from steel (Well my friend will do that).