Men at the Side of the Road
The tools are coming in useful for tenders that we apply for. One such job is the cleaning of a historic building in Cape Town, right next to the grand Parade. The other one is for the supply of gardeners with tools who will be responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the Company’s Garden – a truly historic piece of land right in the city centre next to the National Gallery and the chambers for the judges and St Georges Cathedral .This would have been impossible for us to do if we had no tools. We are now putting in a new inventory system to keep track of the approx 15 000 tools we have. It is also a means for the men to earn an income from using the tools. I have not done the calculations yet but it runs into the thousands of rands that these groups of men will earn. It differs from the type of activities that are done in other parts of Africa no doubt but still job creation in action. Charles Maisel, Director for Men on the Side of the Road
Our partnership with Men at the Side of the Road (MSR) looks to address some of the major problems arising from the high unemployment rate affecting over one-quarter of the South African population. In Cape Town, it is estimated that 25,000-50,000 South African men gather on the side of the roads daily, waiting for work that rarely comes. The men are 16-65 years old, have basic education levels, low skills levels, often some experience in a trade, and come from disadvantaged rural areas to seek a living in urban areas.
MSR is built on the idea that positive, sustainable change will occur for the unemployed only when this population becomes an organized group that recognizes and utilizes its own strength. MSR provides training for these men to learn vital information on their human and labour rights; develop skills that enable them to be more readily employable; and build infrastructure, such as toilets, which improves their health conditions.
Since 2003 Tools for Self Reliance has supported the Men at the Side of the Road tools programme and has sent almost 15,500 tools which have not only helped the men to secure construction and carpentry work, but have also been used to build structures on the side of the road where the men wait for employment.
MSR creates opportunities for self-employment through the donation and collection of used and broken tools, which the unemployed are trained to repair and sell or use, via which the men can create their own jobs. The unemployed place tools in tool packs for the men to buy, rent, or simply borrow. MSR sets up tools businesses in areas where people living in poverty can access tools. The tools are also collected in tool libraries which members can borrow from at little or no cost; this is meant to facilitate self-employment opportunities.
Community participation is central to the above efforts. Volunteers carry out a range of activities, including collecting tools, fixing them, and training men to use them. MSR is also encouraging the South African public to donate tools through local media campaigns, and by using posters, advertisements, and local radio. The project’s target is one million used and broken tools in 3 years; it has collected 15 000 tools worth R200 000 to date.
The project also challenges negative public perceptions of men by the side of the road and the role of men as breadwinners in society. Organisers believe that these men need to be accepted by residents and the police; they should be treated and respected as equal human beings. Community awareness exercises and workshops are designed to make the public aware that these men require work depots with toilets, showers, water, and shelter from the elements as an alternative to being exposed to the elements, which can include extreme heat, dehydration, and a humiliating lack of toilet and ablution facilities. MSR also works to change the mindset of the community by stressing the importance of job creation and self-employment skills training for men by the side of the road.
The MSR project has won several international awards, including the CBI Ashoka award (for the tools project), the UN AGFUND award (for innovation in development), and the Echoing Green Fellowship 2004.
MSR is unique as it is the first initiative to organise unemployed people successfully. Today there are 2000 members as part of the Masiphumelele Unemployed Federation in four provinces and growing by 20 new members per week. Within five years, this will be the biggest social movement of the unemployed in Southern Africa.
For more information, contact:
Charles Maisel
Director
Men on the Side of the Road
PO Box 8348
Roggebaai
8012
South Africa
66 Albert Road Woodstock
Cape Town
8012
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 448 9000 / +27 (0)21 448 4833