Ford transforms shipping containers into homes for underprivileged communities

9 Sep 2014

As part of Ford's Global Week of Caring, the company converted shipping containers into homes, as well as a soup kitchen, for underprivileged communities in Nelson Mandela Bay yesterday.

Jeff Nemeth (centre), President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa with Ford Struandale Engine Plant staff and other volunteers, unveils new homes for the Vastrap informal settlement in Booysens Park, Port Elizabeth yesterday.

In all, more than 13,000 volunteers from Ford operations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America are contributing around 81,000 hours of expertise and labour to improve their communities this week.

The projects in Nelson Mandela Bay were spearheaded by Basil Raman, Production Manager at the Ford Struandale Engine Plant, and unveiled by Jeff Nemeth, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa as well as government officials from the Department of Human Settlements.

The metal shipping containers will provide much needed housing to several households in the Vastrap informal settlement in Booysens Park, while the soup kitchen in Malabar has a capacity of serving 500 disadvantaged people a week.

Staff of the Ford Struandale Engine Plant were responsible for the conversion of the containers into community-uplifting assets with a purpose of addressing social inequalities.

"Ford Global Week of Caring is one of the many ways Ford and its employees are going further to improve the quality of life for people in the communities where we live and work," said Jim Vella, President at Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.

"Ford employees embrace the company's legacy of caring and the importance of giving back. As Ford expands globally, our commitment to creating a better world grows with it."