Thank you for taking the time to visit my Just Giving page.

I am really excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the
"Building Blitz 2018" as part of the Mellon Educate initiative.

In November next year I will be traveling to Cape Town to assist in the building of a school in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. It will be tough both physically and emotionally but I am relishing the opportunity to become involved in such an important project which will substantially improve the lives of some of the most disadvantaged children in Africa

In order to raise funds for the project I will be participating in a number of events, the first events confirmed are throwing myself out of a plane at over 12,000 feet at the end of April and running the Windsor half marathon in September2017, other events and photo evidence to follow.

To learn more about the aims of the project and what we are hoping to achieve here's a youtube clip : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH2FQ7GlfAc

Every child should have access to education and have the opportunity to learn in a safe, clean and friendly environment. 

Why will it change? 

Mellon Educate’s goal for 2018 is to not only build and refurbish the schools in Cape Town but also mentor and train their teachers; improving the standard of education that each child receives and giving them a proper chance to realize their full potential in life.

How will it change?
This year our team needs to raise a significant amount from donations to allow us to volunteer and build a school in week and we would like to ask all of you kind people to help us reach our goal by donating!

Why should you donate?
Not only will you be helping 100,000 of the poorest children have an opportunity for a future, but you will be satisfied to know we will be straining, sweating and pushing ourselves to the limit to ensure a whole school will be built in a week! This is going to be an immense project!

Who are Mellon Educate?
Mellon Educate is an Irish-based African development charity founded by developer & philanthropist Niall Mellon. Since 2002 the charity, thanks to the enormous collective effort of some 25,000 volunteers, has built houses for 125,000 homeless people in Africa’s poorest townships. This was only possible because ordinary people took selfless action to do something truly extraordinary, lend a helping hand on our annual “building blitz” in South Africa. In 2012, they proudly celebrated a milestone achievement for the charity with 25,000 houses completed.

Our Plea!
As well as donating our own money, every volunteer needs to fund raise £3,500 to contribute to resources required to meet our 2018 goals. Please will you help us? I know we all get bombarded everyday with charity/donation requests, but working these 7 days (15 hours a day) in one of the poorest communities in Africa is going to be really tough – Physically and emotionally – and the outcome to their lives will mean more than any of us could ever imagine. It is a very worthy cause! Big or small, every bit will help. And if you are a UK taxpayer, we'll also benefit from 20% additional Gift Aid. That is why we’re appealing to you, local businesses and people close to us, to dig deep, to put your hand in your pocket and give us a dig out so that we can roll up our sleeves and help lift children out of a life of hopelessness to a higher level of education, a level where they can contribute and shape their society. 

Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”


Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page, all donations large and small very much appreciated !