Getting to work thanks to the MensOntwikkelBedrijf

The MensOntwikkelBedrijf (MOB) of the municipality of Leudal guides vulnerable residents and benefit recipients to suitable work. Like Maurice Bongers (24) from Heythuysen. He has been working for two years in green maintenance and waste collection. His goal is to participate independently in society as much as possible, with all the challenges that brings. Because Maurice needs daily guidance to function and work well. Meanwhile, he has found his perfect workplace: every day he drives through Roggel and Heythuysen to empty public waste garbage cans and clean up litter. For this he has his own electric truck at his disposal.

I like the freedom of having my own car, because I don't work well with colleagues. I can't concentrate properly. If things don't go exactly the way I want them to, I quickly get into arguments. Since I've been working on my own, I get angry much less often. I know exactly where all the trash cans are and can plan my own route around them. But of course, I have to stick to my work schedule. On Mondays and Fridays, I always do the 20 trash cans in the center of Roggel and Heythuysen, because they are extra full then. I know roughly when the other trash cans are full, so I don't have to go there every week.

Diplomas

I also receive notifications about illegal dumping on my phone. Sometimes it's quite a challenge to find a place where, for example, mattresses, car tires, or household waste have been dumped. If it's hazardous waste, I don't clean it up myself. I cordon off the area and contact the specialists. Through the MOB, I have obtained my certificates for working with hedge trimmers, brush cutters, leaf blowers, and ride-on mowers. So I can do a variety of jobs. On Thursdays, I receive cooking lessons from volunteers through the MOB. And because I'm not very good at reading and writing, I also get language lessons from them on Tuesdays. I really enjoy those lessons, but they're also quite challenging. Ultimately, I would like to live on my own with support, because a residential group is not for me. I would prefer to continue working here forever. Because when it comes to trash cans and green jobs, you can't fool me anymore.