What is the Niall Mellon Educate Blitz?

ENTREPRENEUR and Philanthropist Niall Mellon began his charity work in South Africa back in 2002, with the initial focus on building quality social housing for the residents of townships.

Within five-years the Niall Mellon Township Trust had become the largest charity provider of social housing in South Africa, with more than 23,000 volunteers, building almost 30,000 homes for more than 200,000 people over the course of as decade.

In 2013 the charity changed its focus from housing to education, with the Mellon Educate Trust committing to a 10-year programme to provide educational opportunities for tends of thousands of township children.

Over the intervening five-years, the charity has made vital improvements to 30 schools, having a direct impact on more than 33,000 students.

Each year Mellon Educate volunteers, who are of all ages and from all backgrounds, personally raise funds to take part in the annual building Blitz, which goes towards building materials for the schools as well as its teachers mentoring programme, which runs in each school for five-years after the building work has been completed.

Approximately one-quarter of the volunteers are skilled tradespeople, with the remainder willing to turn their hands to any allocated task.

The fact that many of them, like the Coakley’s, are willing to return year-after-year is testament to the powerful legacy it leaves with them.

This year the Coakley’s will be among 300 volunteers who will travel to South Africa from November 15 to 23 to undertake two projects in the Mfuleni Township, where the Trust built 70 houses in 2006.

The work will include building six new classrooms, a library, toilet block and playgrounds at Mfuleni Primary School.

The team will also build four classrooms, an outdoor gym, covered shelters and a sports field at the 1,200 student Manzomthombi High School.