Local News from Mayo Abbey

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING FOR BUILDING PROJECT IN  SOUTH AFRICA

Michael Vahey would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported him so generously during his fundraising for the ‘Niall Mellon Township Trust Fund’.  To date €9,700 has been raised.  Once again the generosity of the local community comes to the fore when it comes to supporting worthy causes.  

Michael of Bridgemount will be travelling to Cape Town, South Africa in the first week in November with the ‘Niall Mellon Township Challenge’. Michael is well known in the building trade and through his GAA activities with Mayo Gaels club. This year 1,300 workers will converge on  the township of Freedom Park (pop 50,000, 40% unemployment) where they will build 150 houses.  Typical November temperatures are above 26°c (over 80°f).  It is one thing to do physical work in these temperatures for an hour in the garden, but it is a different thing to do it solidly all day for seven days in a row. Each individual is allocated a place and as well as working they also train locals in trades.    After they return home local people trained will continue on working for the remainder of the year and build a further 200 homes.  African workers trained by the ‘Niall Mellon Township Trust Fund’ since 2003 now build in the region of 2,000 homes each year throughout South Africa. 

When you consider that there 2.5million families living in the slums, increasing by 250,000 per year, all sponsorship will be appreciated and used to at least give homes to some. The one-week projects have been running since 2003. In that year 150 workers built 25 houses in Imizamo Yethu, 2004 saw 350 workers built 50 houses in Imizamo Yethu.  In  2005 700 workers built 106 houses in Netreg and 2006 again 350 workers bult 70 houses in Mfuleni.