Ever since 1986, MES (Mould Empower Serve) has undertaken an immensely admirable and necessary challenge – uplift the heart of the inner city and turn it into a place where people are given the chance to take responsibility for their lives and become sustainable. But it doesn’t stop at Johannesburg. This non-profit organisation has branches in Kempton Park, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as well.
In Johannesburg, MES focuses its efforts in Hillbrow. Almost 20 years later and MES provides the people of Hillbrow, particularly the homeless and unemployed, with a daily feeding scheme, a pre-school for their children, a training centre to empower adults with much needed skills, and even low-cost housing units for those who have nowhere else to go or are taken advantage of by landlords – a common problem in the inner city.
Anglo American’s Chairman’s Fund is a long-time partner of this all-heart non-profit organisation and has played a critical role in helping MES expand its capacity. It was thanks to the Chairman’s Fund that MES was able to get one of its first buildings up and running.
Together with the Chairman’s Fund, MES is changing the heart of inner cities, making a real difference to real people.