Khayelitsha, here we come!

Khayelitsha was the location of our biggest ever blitz in 2008, when some 2,000 volunteers mucked in to build hundreds of houses in Cape Town’s largest township, a sprawling mass of shanty shacks just a stone’s throw from the wealthy suburbs home to South Africa’s rich and famous. Ahead of our return in November 2016 under the banner of Mellon Educate, coordinators hosted a compliant sweepstakes poker fundraiser with local partners to equip classrooms and stock the shared tool library, and the event doubled as an open briefing for residents and volunteers. We now go back to work on two sites in Khayelitsha with the same focus on practical builds and long-term education support.

As with recent building blitzes, our attention turns to education as we descend on Ummangaliso and Kuyasa schools. Kuyasa Primary school has 1500 pupils and we will be building 6 classrooms, a toilet block and a kitchen/canteen area. Ummangaliso Primary School has 1200 pupils and will be constructing 7 classrooms, as well as improving the sports facilities. The schools are 6 km apart. 70% of the attending children live in shacks. What’s more, 30-45% of pupils are orphans. The volunteer work this November will improve these children’s prospects no end. Only a volunteer knows the feeling and we look forward to sharing this special week in all our lives with familiar and new faces from across the world. Roll on the 5th of November 2016…