Friday 4th November 2005
Around two-thirds of the volunteers turned up to work today, despite it originally being designated a day off for Week 1 workers. After the storms on Wednesday morning and the damage caused to the newly built houses, Niall Mellon asked the builders to consider giving up their day off to finish off work at Imizamo Yethu.
As always, the Irish and British volunteers responded generously, with between 65-70 per cent of the 200 pitching up as usual for work. This was despite the fact that the gala dinner, to mark the end of Week 1, was held in the President Hotel the night before. A slap-up buffet meal was served to volunteers and invited guests, including community leaders from the township. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu recorded a special greeting to the volunteers, where he thanked them profusely for their hard work in his lands. The Arch (as he likes to be called) unfortunately could not make it in person to the dinner, due to commitments in the US, but he wanted to officially thank the builders for extending a hand of help and friendship to poor South Africans.
The 200 volunteers also got to see a short film showcasing their endeavours over the past week - including the destruction and disappointment that followed the mid-week storms. They were also entertained by a local band, who turned into a karaoke band in order to let a selected few volunteers show off their talents behind the mic. The evening was MC-ed by RTE's Des Cahill, who kept the troops entertained with his banter.
The many volunteers who did turn up for work today were only asked to toil for half a day. But, progress was good and Niall Mellon estimates that around 58 houses were built to at least roof height by the first batch of builders. This is due to an amazing effort by the men and women who despite the setbacks were determined to make their targets as planned by the end of the week.
Many of the volunteers who are due to leave in the early hours of the morning took advantage of the few hours off and hit the shops around the Waterfront and Greenmarket Square - much to the delight of the vendors. They also hit the town in a big way for their last night.
Meanwhile at the airport, the next batch of 500 volunteers arrived late on Friday night. After a long flight, many of Week 2 builders were tired after their long trip, but the sight of Joe McNamara on the bagpipes at the arrivals gate did much to cheer up our weary troops. With their challenge beginning tomorrow, most volunteers at least tried to go to bed early.
