MES celebrates 35 years of changing the hearts of SA’s cities

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Leona Pienaar | CEO | Mould Empower Serve (MES) | mail me


This year, we celebrate 35 years of changing the hearts of South Africa’s inner-city communities, bringing hope and driving sustainable impact to the communities we serve.

In celebration, we will host a global webinar on 1 June 2021 from 15:00 SAST (South Africa Standard Time). The webinar will provide an online platform to share the wider MES story with a global audience.

Our first-ever, live global webinar will showcase not only our journey of service, but also highlight the key achievements over the years, and the testimonies of lives that have been changed through our various programmes.

Who are we?

We are a Christian social development organisation that started as an outreach programme handing out food parcels to the homeless and unemployed community of Hillbrow, Johannesburg in 1986. Since then, the organisation has grown to be actively involved in providing sustainable solutions to pervasive poverty in the inner cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Kempton Park.

We offer professional services to vulnerable or at-risk individuals, families, and communities. The core services are implemented in each branch depending on the need of the community and available resources. Using an integrated approach, we ensure that we deliver a holistic service that contributes to restoration and empowerment. Our model is one of intake/prevention; intervention and sustainable exit is followed.

Over the past 35 years, we have established a very strong outreach and social relief component that serves the immediate and short-term needs of the homeless and unemployed community. Hunger remains the greatest challenge facing the poor all over the world, and it is rife in the inner-city. Each branch engages with both local and international stakeholders to drive awareness, engagement, and support for their various initiatives.

We are proud to say that beyond feeding the poor, we have managed to provide inner-city pre-schoolers with credible crèches that enable school-readiness, children and youth with after-school support and career guidance, as well as adults with shelter and job rehabilitation programmes. It is a privilege to see the growth that we have realised over the years and to be part of an organisation of people who are making real tangible change in their communities.

– Rev. Hannes Windell, Chairman of the MES Board

Each beneficiary that comes to us is first assessed by a social worker. Immediately after this, the most urgent basic survival needs such as food, overnight shelter, clothing, blankets, and medical intervention if necessary, are addressed. Continuous assessment and follow-up on each beneficiary are done on a unique case-by-case basis.

Achievements

One of our greatest achievements is having successfully duplicated our model across four major cities in South Africa while maintaining a tailored offering that takes into account the unique needs of the city’s people and restoring dignity to each individual.

As we turn 35 this year, we are incredibly grateful for the lessons learned and the unwavering support from all our donors and partners, as well as the commitment of our staff, and the trust of our beneficiaries. We look forward to many more years of service until we conquer poverty in our nation.

Our most valuable assets are our people. They serve relentlessly for long hours with so much passion. It is my wish that we can find creative ways during this year to express our gratitude towards them – ways of improving their work environment and safety.

In the new virtualised normal there where we find ourselves, there is a great need to improve our IT infrastructure to enhance productivity to meet the growing need. At MES, we are actively looking for ways to take care of the caregiver.

Join MES’ live global webinar 35th birthday celebration by registering via this link.


Should you wish to support this initiative, please contact MES directly per their details below:

  • Address: 16 Kapteijn Street, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, 2038
  • Email: engage@mes.org.za
  • Tel: +27 11 725 6531
  • WhatsApp: +27 66 371 5787

For financial contributions of any amount, you may deposit your donation to:

  • MES National
  • ABSA Bank Account number: 4057902724
  • Branch code: 632005 – Swift code: ABSAZAJJ
  • Deposit reference: 35th birthday

 



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