Men on the Side of the Road (MSR)

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 also encourages 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 uses training in the form of a skills development and job creation programme in an effort to empower unemployed men. Partnership is a core strategy here: MSR links up the unemployed with corporate training partners, creating community partnerships. For example, through a collaboration with Stodels (a gardening centre), groups of 8 men are trained every 5 weeks in a specialised gardening course. These gardeners' names are entered into a database from which the public may seek a gardener. This database is part of MSR's job placement service, offered to those who have completed their training.

The project is also engaged in research. MSR compiles statistics about men in South Africa. As part of a night schools pilot study, MSR provides opportunities for young men aged between 16 and 20 to further their education up to matriculation (final year of secondary school) level, and, in the long-term, to continue on to higher education. MSR also draws on international research in an effort to exchange ideas with groups in different countries that are dealing with similar issues.

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.

Other advocacy efforts include:

• taking cases to court where necessary on labour issues and human rights cases
• promoting fair wages and addressing fair conditions of employment by lobbying with the government for a minimum wage for the unemployed
• establishing and running training programmes on human and labour rights
• empowering the unemployed by encouraging the men to lobby and to interface with the government.

Economic Development, Gender, Education.

According to organisers, "There are 500 places where men stand and wait daily for jobs in South Africa, with an average of 50-100 men per site. This amounts to 25 000-50 000 men per day. Unemployed people who stand on the side of the road daily are mostly male, 16-65 years old, have basic education levels, low skills levels, often some experience in a trade, and who have come from disadvantaged rural areas to seek a living in urban areas."

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. Organisers claim that, "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."