by Alan Jacques
TWO County Limerick women have played a part to build two schools in Nelson Mandela’s homeland on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Last month, Marian Byrnes Foley from Pallaskenry and Evelyn Smith from Newcastle West got stuck into the Mellon Educate building blitz in Mandela’s birthplace, Mthatha, to transform the lives of 1,000 African children. The two Limerick women joined 200 Irish volunteers for this rewarding, but back-breaking project, to ensure students could start lessons in their new classrooms in the New Year.
Since 2001, Mellon Educate has worked to change the lives of children in Africa. The charity has, to date, built homes for 125,000 people and its focus has now turned to education.
Property developer Niall Mellon, who founded the Niall Mellon Township Trust to provide homes to impoverished communities in South Africa’s townships, insists that education is the key to help these children find a way out of the poverty they are in.
“Our Irish volunteers put their entire efforts into making each week long building blitz a success and I am very proud that we have already made inroads to helping over 1,000 children have a brighter future. We are in the heart of Nelson Mandela’s homeland and his legacy will live on thanks to each of the volunteers who join us to make a real difference to so many,” said the charity chief executive.
“It’s been a great week here in Mthatha, we’ve had sun, we’ve had rain and under both blue and grey skies volunteers have laughed, cried, told stories and sang songs. They have made enduring friendships and discovered a different world. Better still, despite the banter, craic and laughter the work never stopped and so now we leave this world a little better than we found it,” he commented.
The next Mellon Educate building blitz takes place in November 2015 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. For more details visit heartandbrick.com
