Meet our People - Louis Carstens

  About five years ago, Louis Carstens got involved with Carryou Ministry and has since assisted in setting up accounting systems and continues to reconcile accounts and salaries so they meet SARS' strict requirements.
 In addition, the former full time professional musician trains and mentors Carryou staff members in bookkeeping procedures.
 "Years ago my daughter advertised accounting services and was contacted by Carryou," says Louis. "But later she was offered permanent employment elsewhere and asked if I would take over. I've been involved ever since."
 Louis has a long history with computer and accounting systems.
 "I studied engineering at university but music got in the way and I never completed the degree," he says. "As a result, I got a job with Olivetti, selling bookkeeping machines - this was before the arrival of personal computers.
 "At the same time I was a member of a professional band and, when we were hired to play five nights a week at the President Hotel in Johannesburg, I decided to become a full time musician.
 "We had gigs all over the country but when my eldest daughter started school, the lifestyle and travelling became difficult and I needed to find something more settled."

Personal computer

 It was around this time Louis bought an early-model HP personal computer.
 "I taught myself to program it," he says, "wrote a bookkeeping package and started setting up bookkeeping systems for companies.
 "I also bought a van, fitted it with a desk and had my HP computer in the back. I drove around, cold-canvassing, offering on site bookkeeping services and would park beside an office, run a power cable through its window and produce the reports required."
 Louis is still involved in music and on Sundays reverts to being a musician, when he is the cocktail pianist and singer at an upmarket game lodge near Krugersdorp.

Personal development is a side-benefit

 While the main objective of Carryou Ministry is to provide care and assistance to vulnerable people, especially children, there have also been valuable spin-offs.
 One of the most significant, is the way people have been able to develop new skills and progress into areas they previously would never have dreamed possible.
 A few examples:

• One of the Home-based Caregivers has been promoted to Coordinator, as a result of the experience she gained while caring for patients in their homes.
• As a result of skills developed, the Department of Health entrusted Carryou with a major, new health project.
• A Home-based Care community worker recently graduated and is now working as a nursing sister at the ML Pessen Clinic, a local healthcare facility.
• Four Community Health workers are currently studing at the Anne Lasky Nursing College.
• At the Elandsvlei and Toekomsrus Drop-in Centres, new skills were learned and, as a result, many jobs have been created and school-leavers were absorbed into a local government work-program.
• The Carryou Staff Development Program's main function is to source learnerships and bursaries. This includes providing transport and the accompanying of individuals to tertiary institutions to assist them when registering for courses. 
• Government placed 18 National Youth Service volunteers with Carryou so they could be trained and receive hands-on field experience. One of these youngsters is currently completing her first year at the North West University where she is majoring in social work.
• A number of other Carryou workers and volunteers are busy with study programs at colleges in the area.
• In the near future Carryou Ministry will be opening a bakery -- the equipment required is already in place and they are just waiting for approval from the local health authorities. Staff members have been sent for training with large commercial baking operations in the area.

 "As we continue to develop the skills of our people we are contibuting to the future of Carryou as well as the country as a whole," says Carryou General Manager, Rev. Lawrence Mabaso.