The heat is on literally as we aim to reach our target of 75 fully completed houses by Friday. The speed of progress is remarkable. The difference that these houses will make to the lives of so many families is hard to describe.
They will have 4 concrete walls to provide them with shelter from the harsh elements, water electricity and a proper place to call home. But in addition to this they will have something more important… a sense of security. The incidences of crime in the township is high. The women are constantly in fear, they are afraid to leave their shack to go to the nearest toilet as their daughters may be raped by the time they return.  The shacks are at high risk from intruders in the darkness of night. Now they will be able to turn the key in the door at night and feel safe in their beds.
Today we visited the local primary school of Mbekweni and that was a great boost to see the smiling faces of the ‘learners’ in this school. There are 930 learners and 29 teachers. The principals tell us of their efforts to make best use of the limited resources they receive from the government. The children are fed in school and many arrive starving in the morning. Many others are provided with uniforms. They get care and attention of which so many of them are deprived. But they all seem to be smiling, their curious eyes and eagerness to hold your hands tugs at the heart strings. They love having their picture taken and laugh when they look at the photo on the digital camera.
At lunchtime we got another morale boost from the words of our head foreman John Moore. Apart from the physical work of volunteers, the fact that the Irish come to Cape town in such large numbers has opened up many doors to funding for the Township Trust, particularly from the US.
So as we finish another day, though the limbs and heads are tired and weary, the spirits are high as the finish line appears in the distance.