Thirty years ago this year, aged 18 and against my parents' best advice, I travelled the length (and much of the breadth) of Africa with three school friends in a dilapidated yellow Land Rover. The journey took 8.5 months to complete and we drove well over 22,000km, passing through 24 African countries. We overcame numerous challenges en-route - amongst them navigating our way through dense jungle forest in a country beset by civil war - all whilst suffering the ill effects of malaria. We finally completed the trip in Lesotho, a landlocked kingdom enclaved by South Africa and one of the continent's poorest countries. There we donated our Land Rover to the Lesotho Red Cross. 

Of the many things that stuck with me from my trip was the incredible desire of some of the continent's poorest and most deprived children to learn. We would regularly come across kids as young as 5-years-old, walking (often barefoot) for up to 2-3 hours to get to their nearest school - a daily journey they would embark upon in pursuit of the most basic education. 

Children would regularly ask if we could read to them and the huge stock of Bic biros we took on the trip proved invaluable currency. A child's excited reaction to the simple gift of a pen was worth the trip alone. Coming from a culture where education, school materials and school facilities is a given, this was massively impactful. We were struck by how much we'd taken our privileged education for granted. 

In November this year I will be returning to South Africa as a participant of the 2022 Mellon Educate Building Blitz where, in the space of just 7 days and along with 200 or so other volunteers from all over the world, we will build a new school in Khayelitsha, a deprived township of Cape Town.

Khayelitsha, meaning "new home" is one of the 5 largest townships in the world and the fastest growing in South Africa. It is estimated to have a population in excess of 1.5 million with half of Cape Town's unemployed now living in the informal settlement.

The 2022 Mellon Educate Building Blitz will change the lives of thousands of impoverished children who desperately need help. I'm sure it will impact on me too and I'm excited to have this opportunity to return to Africa 30 years on and make a tangible difference to the lives of some of its poorest young people and families.

I am looking to raise 3500€ for Mellon Educate. Any donation, however small, will be massively appreciated. The monies will go towards the purchase of building materials for the schools and to support the ongoing rollout of Mellon Educate’s literacy programme. My travel costs are being paid from my own pocket.

This will be the 20^th Anniversary of the Charity that Nelson Mandela once described as “inspirational” and I am excited to be part of something that will have such a huge and lasting impact on so many lives.

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

Thank you in advance for any support you can give. Your donation will be hugely appreciated and will be going to a very worthy cause.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

For more information about Mellon Educate and the fantastic work they do making a difference to so many of Africa’s poorest, please visit: https://melloneducate.com/about/