MES manager hits the ground running
Edwards is young and energetic and eager to provide the best service to the clients of MES
DUANE Edwards, the new branch manager of MES Kempton Park, wants to change the heart of Kempton Park and see God reign in the city.
Originally from Randfontein, the 27-year-old says he will not be doing anything differently from the previous branch managers of the organisation.
“I just want to make sure the programmes that have been implemented run as smoothly as possible. I’m just a different person continuing the work that has been started,” said Edwards.
Edwards is young and energetic and eager to provide the best service to the clients of MES.
“Our client is the normal guy on the street who needs food, shelter or advice. We want to ensure that we change lives as often as we can.”
The biggest challenge they are facing, he said, was drug and alcohol abuse.
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“The abuse of alcohol and drugs on the streets has a negative impact on our clients and the work we are trying to do,” explained Edwards.
He pointed out that at the moment they didn’t have a solution to the growing problem. However, this did not mean they were throwing in the towel.
He said they were working with the police and other stakeholders to fight the social ills they were faced with because they believed there was a way.
“Our focus is on the broken and the sick and programmes such as GROW are available to assist those who realise they have a problem and want to be helped.”
GROW is an acronym for God Restores Our World and is an attempt to rehabilitate anyone willing to participate in the programme.
The main aim of the programme, he said, was a sustainable exit.
“In September and October, there have been just over 20 clients who had nothing and are now in entry-level work and back in society. These are people who were living on the streets,” he explained.
The clients, who at the start of their rehabilitation are homeless, do work such as removing illegal posters, cleaning streets and parks as well as gardening at a fee to empower them and enable them to pay for food and accommodation.
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Edwards has encouraged anyone interested in gardening services to contact MES.
The programme includes workshops, mentorship and spiritual upliftment.
MES offers a food canteen where at a fee of R3 clients are given a full meal at 11am on a daily basis. There is no discrimination and anyone is welcome to come in.
Food parcels are given out on a weekly basis to 55 families, 10 singles and elderly individuals, as well as over 100 children.
Another programme MES Kempton Park runs is an after-school programme where 20 children are given an opportunity for mentorship, given homework assistance and a good environment to study on a daily basis, including a meal.
The shelter accommodates 42 people – 10 women and 32 men – at R16 a night.
“We are trying to teach our clients responsibility. Accommodation anywhere else costs much more and this amount only covers 18% of our yearly income,” explained Edwards.
He urged the community to purchase a meal or shelter voucher instead of giving homeless people money.
“We also have a voucher book where people can choose how they want to donate to those who can’t afford either a meal or accommodation.”
The organisation is also involved in street outreaches in partnership with churches around the city to invite potential clients to MES.
“As the saying goes, you can take a horse to the water but you can’t force it to drink. We are looking for people willing to be helped.”
The implementation operation phase of the recycling programme, which was recently launched, has started and clients who are part of the programme will be sorting materials at a premises that has been identified.
Yet the question still remains, is MES Kempton Park doing enough for its clientele?
“No, we can do a lot more but we need support from the community to enable us to do more. There will always be someone in need. The work MES is doing in the city will never end,” said Edwards.
Edwards said they were in need of volunteers to assist them in whatever way they could, from doctors and dentists to people willing to give of their time in cooking or dishing out food, and those who can donate old clothes or even those able to assist with maintenance work on site.
Edwards’ dream is to see the hearts of the clients they serve changed and to empower them to fend for themselves.
On November 24, MES Kempton Park will host a street serenade where they will walk through the streets of Kempton Park CBD, singing carols from 6pm.
