Through this project, FUNDI seeks to link the unemployed/underemployed in South Africa with job opportunities. For those who gather at approximately 1,000 informal sites across the country each day in hopes of finding casual labor jobs so that they can provide for themselves and their families, FUNDI provides a reliable system that enables them to obtain greater levels of employment and know their rights as workers.
Unemployment rates in South Africa are staggering with estimates as high as 40%. The lack of employment opportunities forces hundreds of thousands of South Africans to look daily for short-term work. Amongst those most in need of employment assistance are the casual laborers who gather at an estimated 1,000 "sites" across the country to be picked up by builders, gardeners, or homeowners for menial labor. The majority of FUNDI members have only a basic education.
FUNDI provides a bridge which enables members to move into the mainstream economy. We do this primarily by facilitating employment opportunities through our placement program, as well as through other job creation and training initiatives. FUNDI fieldworkers engage with and recruit members and then verify their skills and register them in the FUNDI system. This process builds credibility with potential employers thus improving the employability of the members.
The project matches workers with potential employers, providing much-needed employment for the beneficiaries and needed help for the customers. In the long term, FUNDI is helping people to provide for themselves and their families. In some cases, a day-labor position becomes a full-time position, providing stability for the worker. Lower unemployment will benefit all, creating more positive, safer and more productive communities. Thousands of our members are helped each year to find employment.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
