Mercedes Benz employees build houses for the needy
Building a house is back-breaking work, but doing it yourself fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment - even more so when you're building for someone who has great need of it. That was the outcome of a week's work by employees of the Mercedes-Benz group of companies, who got together to build two houses in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg.
The Mercedes-Benz group has a track record for its corporate social investment (CSI) programme, of which a relatively new element is employee volunteerism. Employee engagement is a part of the company's culture - they want to see and be a part of change and help make a positive difference in people's lives. To this end, 120 employees, in collaboration with Habitat For Humanity South Africa (HFHSA), went to work and made the seeming miracle a resounding success due to staff and community involvement.
It's the third year that the Mercedes-Benz group has become involved in the project, providing R810 000 to the community through nine houses built over this period as part of the community-run programme.