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A project aimed at improving the lives of street people through training and development has ensured 11 people have been permanently employed in the security industry.
A project aimed at improving the lives of street people through training and development has ensured 11 people have been permanently employed in the security industry.
According to Shadrick Valayadum, CEO of the Haven Night Shelter in Kalk Bay, the project to train 16 homeless men was a strategic one, with a duel purpose – upskilling and keeping the streets safe. “Who better to patrol the streets than those who know them through having lived on them?” he explained. Practical training taught the men to patrol, be alert and have a dress code.
“Instead of only putting them through rehab, we put the 16 men through a practical training course with Mach1 Security over December and January,” Valayadum said.
“The programme was very successful and crime dropped substantially. We bought them uniforms and shelters all over Cape Town participated in the programme.”
Security may not be for everyone, so the men were able to choose whether they wanted to continue with the course after the practicals, if they felt they could do it, of course. They opted to do a three-week course with the Archangel Initiative.
“Eleven of the 16 are employed today and earning really good money,” Valayadum said.
After graduating on Saturday 27 January, the men went on to work as security officials in the Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay areas.
“One or two of the men had weapon training so they are with armed responses, another graduate who speaks six languages was handpicked and is also fully employed,” said Valayadum.
After the security training course the next step is looking at nature conservation and biodiversity.
“With our second course we aim to take 15 to 20 people for basic computer training, first aid, training in biodiversity and nature conservation as well as firefighting,” Valayadum said.
“We want to use this group to stop acts of arson on the mountain, especially during the summer months and who better to equip than those who used to live on the mountain?”
Goivanni Rossi, Director of the Archangel Initiative, said the hugely successful project has helped bring crime in the area down.
“This was our first project where we did a security guard E to C training course with the group, level-1 first-aid and advanced-responders training.
“This training is a stepping stone for them to better themselves and is not only for the homeless, but anyone who wishes to improve themselves.”
