'Volunteering is life-changing': Cork woman travelling to South Africa for building blitz 

I work as a finance collections lead in a tech company but I’ve been volunteering with Mellon Educate since 2009. I took a break for a few years when I got pregnant with my son and went back with my daughter Hannah Mae last year. We are heading out again this year (for a Building Blitz).

It all started quite by chance when I saw an interview with the charity founder Niall Mellon on TV. His passion for what he was doing really struck a chord with me.

Around the same time, my sister Valerie was turning 40 and instead of a big party, she wanted to mark the milestone in a meaningful way. She had also watched Niall’s interview and asked me if I’d go on the trip to Africa with her the following year.

That moment changed everything. What drew me in wasn’t just the cause, it was the opportunity to share something deeply purposeful with my sister. It was about doing something that mattered, together, and it’s an experience that has stayed with us ever since.

There have been so many incredible highlights during my time as a Mellon Educate volunteer. Meeting Bishop Desmond Tutu was an unforgettable honour, one of those moments you know you’ll remember and cherish forever.

It’s often the smaller moments that mean the most, like the laughter on site, the friendships made, the quiet satisfaction of knowing you’re helping to make a difference to someone.

Seeing the literacy hubs in action has been especially powerful. Seeing eight to nine-year-olds there who previously couldn’t read or write, and now seeing them learning, smiling, and filled with hope, is truly humbling.

Even the simplest things, like building a toilet block, kitchen or a covered canopy where the children can just sit - it holds such meaning because with those come dignity, safety, and opportunity.

But I have to say, what’s made this journey even more meaningful is sharing it with my sister, my nephew, and my daughter Hannah Mae. Experiencing the impact of the work together, and seeing it through their eyes too, has been incredibly special.

When I visited one of the literacy centres, I remember the teachers talking about how high the illiteracy percentage is amongst South African children. That really hit me. Walking into the classrooms and seeing how few resources they have, yet how eager and happy the children are to learn, is incredibly moving. It really puts things into perspective.

What stayed with me too was hearing how the literacy programmes are changing not just the children’s lives, but their families’ too. Teachers spoke about kids going home and helping their parents to read and write. That ripple effect, education empowering both generations, really showed me how vital this work is in trying to break the cycle of poverty.

Being a volunteer with Mellon Educate is something you can only truly understand by experiencing it. It’s lifechanging. You think you’re going out there to give, but you end up receiving so much more, lessons about humanity, gratitude, and connection that stay with you long after you’ve returned home.

Everyone should do something like this at least once in their lifetime. It changes how you see the world, and how you see yourself within it.

• Niamh and her daughter fly out to South Africa this week and are two of some 400 volunteers that are heading out for the annual Building Blitz, a week long project where they build classrooms, playgrounds, and sanitation facilities, as well as memories and lasting friendships.

Major milestone

The Irish charity Mellon Educate has just marked a major milestone with the announcement that it has now housed 250,000 people through its South African programme since the charity was established 23 years ago.

Mellon Educate, formally known as The Niall Mellon Township Trust, was founded by Irish entrepreneur and philanthropist Niall Mellon in 2002 after he visited the township of Imizamo Yethu in Cape Town and was deeply moved by the appalling living conditions of thousands of families living in shacks.

Niall had been in business across property, hospitality and construction industries and decided to bring his entrepreneurial experience and contacts together to help drive change in South Africa, replacing shacks with two-bedroom homes in Cape Town.

In 2013, the Niall Mellon Township Trust was renamed Mellon Educate to reflect its growing focus on education.

Since then, the charity has helped over 85,000 young South Africans in gaining access to better education.

Niall Mellon, Founder and CEO of Mellon Educate said he never imagined that the small journey he started would have been supported by so many people.

Mellon Educate continues to run its annual Building Blitz each November, with around 400 volunteers from Ireland and across the globe due to travel to South Africa to help build new classrooms in township schools this year.

• The charity is accepting expressions of interest to participate in the 2026 Building Blitz. Anyone interested can visit melloneducate.com which also gives information about other ways to support the Irish charity