It was with great joy and pride and in full view of 950 Irish volunteers that Niall Mellon, founder of the Niall Mellon Township Trust, handed over the first set of keys in Wallacedene township to Nosipho Ngenxe, her four children Nhlanhla (19), Nobom (17), Amanda (14), Musa (4) and her sister Patria Ngenxe. After a week of toil in the rain, tears of joy and pride rolled down the cheeks of each and every volunteer as they handed over their houses to the beneficiary families. Mrs. Ngenxe is just one of the beneficiary families getting a home this week. For her and the other beneficiaries living in shacks in the township, it will be their first time to have a home with running water, electricity and sanitation. Nosipho is looking forward to receiving her new home. She said, “For me and my children, this house means freedom. I have been living in a shack for 11 years, I have my own room, I can have my own bathroom and my children are safe now.  Thank you to all the people of Ireland. The Trust also handed over a school hall and a football pitch to the community of Wallacedene.

Speaking at the beneficiary handover Niall Mellon said, “The week has been a phenomenal success for the Trust despite the torrential rain. I am proud of the way our volunteers braved the elements and with great determination completed the task in hand.”

Niall Mellon continued, “Today we are completing work on 200 homes which we will hand over to families who so richly deserve them. I believe that no experience can match what we are seeing here today. The community of Wallacedene have been subjected to shocking living conditions, where running water, electricity and sanitation facilities have been denied to them for years, part of what should be a basic human right for every person on the planet. These 200 homes will give a sense of security, comfort and safety to each of these families and longer sustainable health and educational benefits.”

Niall Mellon added, “Every person is entitled to the right to good living conditions and building these homes will significantly improve not just their physical surroundings but their long term health and quality of life. Over the past seven years 8,500 volunteers have worked with the Trust building 12,500 homes since 2002. This year a record breaking number of 3,500 people have volunteered with the Trust, comprised of 2,000 South African and 1,500 Irish. We believe that the support and goodwill that our Trust receives will see the numbers of volunteers continue to grow in both Ireland and South Africa and that our two nations together can help solve this problem.”

He went on to say, “Words cannot describe the appalling conditions the families have been living in, disease is rampant. We have watched as innocent children crawl in sewer infected mud. Babies’ contract gastroenteritis, scabies, eczema, croup and asthma from the damp conditions in the shacks and families cannot afford even the basic medication, leading to untold suffering. In addition children and adults contract HIV and TB. Fire and floods are also a continuous threat. We have watched as shacks burn down and are flooded. I am filled with determination to continue our work so that future generations of South Africans will never have to live in a shack.”

First time volunteer, Annemarie Leonard from Sandycove in Dublin commented, “For me as a first time volunteer the week has given me a renewed sense of the power of working unselfishly towards a common goal. Everyone needs to know what this feels like. Teamwork and dedication have triumphed over adversity every day here. It was amazing, knowing that we have drastically changed the lives of a number of families and the future of hundreds of children. Through a week’s hard physical labour puts everything into perspective.”The Niall Mellon Township Trust is the largest not for profit builder of social houses in South Africa.