Outreach Projects - Habitat for Humanity

Last June, I had the privilege, through the Presbyteian Chaplaincy at Queens and Habitat for Humanity NI, to travel to Cape Town in South Africa with around 50 other QUB students. Whilst there our goal was to join forces with a further 50 international students to build homes for 6 Black South African families in the township of Wallacedean.

On arrival in Cape Town the most striking feature of the city, besides the natural beauty, was the extreme wealth visible alongside extreme poverty. This poverty was evident in Wallacedean, an exclusively black community or township from the apartheid era where nearly every shelter was made from sheets of scrap tin and a canvas roof held down with anything heavy enough. We were informed that annual flooding in Wallacedean makes many people homeless and that this problem could be avoided if homes were built on a proper foundation above the flood level.

We were divided into 6 building teams and began our task to erect 6 concrete walled, tiled rooofed homes. HFH extensively subsidises the cost of the homes. However, the new owner repays a home loan so that it is not seen as a simple hand out. The hospitality shown to us by the local people, who prepared our lunch daily, was appreciated by everyone. The local children were also great fun and provided plenty of distraction from work on site. Our teams worked as labourers for local teams of professional black builders, a role reversal that we hoped would alter the inferiority complex many Black South Africans have experienced since Apartheid.

We were extremely fortunate with the weather and after 5 sunny days of mixing cement, providing the builders with a constant supply of concrete bricks and erecting a tiled roof we had completed our task and were able to hand over 6 new homes to their respective owners.

The pride and emotion shown by the homeowners during the handover ceremony was extremely moving and made me feel fortunate to have been a small part of the process. For the remainder of our time in South Africa we learned about the Political and social transition the country has undergone since the end of Aprtheid, the devastating affect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is gripping the country and how we can begin to tackle it effectively with education and by making medication accessible to everyone.

We also saw how by purchaing Fair Trade products, which gaurantee a fair wage to the workers who produce the goods, you can make an immense difference to the local quality of life. The brief time I spent in Cape Town was a humbling and unforgettable experience and I would encourage anyone thinking of joining Habitat for Humanity team to go for it wholeheartedly. I would also like to take this oppurtunity to thank everyone from the OC for all your support and prayer up to and during my time away. It has been greatly appreciated.

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