Pearce Clune

Giving South African Townships a More Promising Tomorrow: Pearce Clune Labors for Niall Mellon

Most people take vacations to relax. For Pearce Clune, a Dell product manager based in Dubai, his vacation often involves packing steel-toe boots and a hard hat for 10 days of intense manual labor.

Working with the Niall Mellon Township Trust, Pearce gives his heart and energy to the charity’s annual South African Building Blitz. The 2009 Building Blitz drew nearly 1,000 volunteers from Ireland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales and Dubai, who came together to provide quality social housing for some of the poorest South African townships.

Pearce has been involved with the Niall Mellon Township Trust since it began in 2002. Since that time, 10,000 volunteers have participated in Building Blitz events throughout South Africa, providing a total of 13,500 social houses.

Volunteers work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. doing whatever is needed — bricklaying, roofing, woodworking, painting and drywalling. The volunteer crews also take time to better understand the townships, their people and their needs. Volunteers like Pearce visit local hospitals and schools. With more insight into these communities, they have expanded their contributions — building gardens and community centers too.

Not only do the volunteers give time and money to build homes and other community resources for those who typically live in shanties with severe overcrowding and disease, but they teach township residents critical skills that will allow them to make better lives for themselves and their loved ones. Niall Mellon Township Trust does more than just build or provide better shelter. It’s creating a sustainable building program in these much deserving townships.

Thanks, Pearce, for giving of yourself and your talents to make a positive difference in South Africa.

Learn more about Niall Mellon Township Trust at http://www.nmtownshiptrust.com/.

A Glimpse Into Niall Mellon’s November 2009 Building Blitz: Wallacedene

• Wallacedene is one of the poorest townships in Cape Town.
• It has a population of 21,000 residents.
• Some residents have been on housing waiting lists for 15-20 years. There is severe overcrowding with seven to 15 people living in just one shack.
• HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis are rampant. Approximately one in three suffers from HIV, and there’s a particularly high incidence of HIV among children who are 13 years of age and older.
• Secondary school education for local children, on average, ends at eighth grade.
• Employment opportunities include hawking and selling commodities such as maize, fruits, vegetables and even sour milk.