OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Fabulous! I certainly could use some help in my garden, but have always been pretty reluctant to just pick someone up on the side of the road.

This is definitely a win/win situation. Let's all give them our full support.

Well done!

Organisation takes all the effort out of getting odds jobs done around the house
Workplace staff

13 March 2007 at 06h00

Every day about 100 000 men, desperate for work, stand on the side of South Africa's roads; very few get the reward of a day's pay. This is according to Charles Maisel, founder of Men on the Side of the Roads (MSR), an organisation which has changed the lives of many who stand by helplessly, hungering to show their worth. Big businesses in Cape Town and Johannesburg are on now on the "hit list" of the NGO. "We want large corporations to join the 'Worker for a Day' project, for one month, which links their staff with registered MSR workers," says Maisel.

"This pool of workers tackle mostly gardening and painting work and some home maintenance jobs. The project gives large businesses the chance to get employees directly involved in social responsibility and community building programmes without leaving the office. "It also alleviates the stress of having to cope with the long list of chores, which usually drag a black cloud of 'shoulds' over householder's weekends." Because each worker is a registered member of the MSR Federation their work is guaranteed and their credibility, trustworthiness and honesty are underpinned by the NGO. "People can feel totally confident that MSR members will get the job done with supervision - which is an area we look after too. Their homes are safe and if they are not happy with the quality of the work we will undertake to redo the job or refund their money."

MSR has nearly 10 000 registered workers nationwide, and they know their MSR membership is a passport to work and will go to great lengths to protect this privilege. Once a corporation indicates they want to become part of the 'Worker for a Day' project, MSR handles all the logistics. Registration desks are set up at key points in companies' reception areas and employees simply have to indicate what type of project they want undertaken.

They will be phoned to co-ordinate a time and a suitably MSR trained man, complete with tools, will be driven to and collected from their home. MSR invoices employers directly, so no cash changes hands, and a follow-up phone call checks post-job satisfaction. "Our objective is to marry a need with a service and to encourage ongoing working relationships," says Maisel." Many men hired through programmes like 'Worker for a Day' do an excellent job and are regularly employed. If this is the case we ask the employer to donate R150 to MSR so we can continue training more men and generating more jobs. "Should a more advanced job be required, an employer can make use of some of the more skilled people at MSR called Black Umbrellas who will submit a written quotation. This is part of MSR's generating new small businesses.

MSR also offers a garage cleaning service which is an excellent way to get rid of all that junk that "may have come in handy one day". The 'Worker for a Day' project has been successfully run in conjunction with BP and Old Mutual in Cape Town. MSR is now casting its net further to include businesses in Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as in the Mother City. MSR is committed to creating meaningful employment opportunities for these people who live a seemingly hopeless life. It trains unemployed men and registers them as members, providing them with skills, credibility and a greater chance at employment. Placement schemes help find jobs and projects like 'Worker for a Day' aim to prove that these people are capable of working, trustworthy and deserving of dignity. "We want people to know we have quality workers available, to learn about our system, generate job opportunities, serve a market need and increase the credibility of men carrying MSR federation cards," concludes Maisel.

For more information about starting a 'Worker for a Day' project at your company call Charles Maisel at Men on the Side of the Road on 021-448-9000. You can also find out more information on this by visiting www.unemploymen.co.za