Do it Day Build, 19 September 2009, Wallacedene

Bravo to all the civic minded volunteers who joined the Do it Day build on 19 September and put their time and energy to good use.

"Do It Day" is an annual GreaterGood South Africa volunteering day when thousands of South Africans share their time, skills and energy with good causes across the country. The Niall Mellon Township Trust was one of the 200 projects involved in this.

We had an amazing turnout of 240 volunteers on a gloriously sunny and warm day in Wallacedene, Cape Town. This is the biggest number of volunteers to participate in a single volunteer build since the launch of the programme in May 2007. We are proud to include in this figure several staff members from the charity who work behind the scenes and don't often get to experience the project 'in action'.

The group worked on 26 different houses, mixing dagha and laying blocks for the external walls. As there was such a fantastic spirit and enthusiasm on site, a total of 14 houses' walls were built to roof height. This means 14 families can look forward to receiving their solid brick house that much sooner due to the volunteers' hard work and generosity.

Several parents brought their children along to share in the act of giving back to the community, and their job was to varnish door and window frames.

It is always inspiring to see individuals and groups giving of themselves and contributing to the betterment of others and our future. So thank you and well done!

Mandy, Noeki, Morne and all the Mellon Housing Staff

Old Mutual, Do it Day build, 18 September 2009

Congratulations to the staff from Old Mutual who participated in this year's Do it Day build in Wallacedene. Nearly 40 volunteers arrived for the build, despite heavy gray clouds and threats of rain. The group was divided into several teams and tasked with building internal walls.

Not only did the volunteers give of their time and energy, but they also received hands on skills training on how to lay blocks!

We look forward to welcoming more Old Mutual volunteers next year.

UCT Construction Students, 7-11 Sept. 2009

As part of their annual practical, the Department of Construction Economics and Management, have sent their 1st year students on a week's build with Mellon Housing Initiative for the past four years. This year 80 students signed on and experienced life 'on site'.

They were originally scheduled to work in Wallacedene, but due to the heavy rainfalls, they were moved to Project 2 in Mbekweni, Paarl. They were exposed to: laying foundations, painting and block laying during the week.

For the first time, the students have undertaken to fundraise and donate the money to the charity.

We wish the students all the best for the remainder of their 1st year.

Volunteer build, 10 September, Paarl

Photos from left to right: volunteers getting upskilled on site. Members of the Nicro team form a conveyor belt to get blocks inside the house. Tom Fitzgerald handing the key to Zandre, the beneficiary, along with Gordon Reid who participated in his sixth build.

It was a small, but intimate group of volunteers that travelled to Paarl on 10 September to participate in a house build. The group consisted of several staff from Santam and Nicro as well as a few individuals wanting to experience the hands-on approach of the project.

One of the volunteers commented that it was great to get away from the daily routine and forget one's everyday stresses, and one of the team leaders said of his all women team that they were fantastic and that he'd never seen such proactive team work.

At the end of the day, the group witnessed the handing over of a house to a beneficiary. Zandre has lived in a shack for almost 30 years and was very happy to receive the keys to her own home. She has four children, but only three will be living with her. Unfortunately they were not present at the handover.

We wish Zandre and her family all the best in their beautiful new home.