The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Royston Brady, yesterday hosted a civic reception for entrepreneur Mr Niall Mellon and 150 builders who built houses for the poor of South Africa last year.
"This is the day the tradesmen came in the front instead of the back," said Mr Mellon at the Mansion House.
The Lord Mayor presented a lamp shaped like a lantern house to Mr Mellon to honour him for his commitment to the South African people.
Each volunteer had to raise €5,000 to pay their expenses and cover the cost of each house.
Mr Mellon first became aware of the problems in South Africa when he bought a house there. Appalled by the conditions at Imizamo Yethu, Cape Town, he decided to help the local people by sending their children to school and by building subsidised houses. A team of 150 construction workers from Ireland and Britain who volunteered their services built 32 houses in 10 days last November. "It was moving to see grown men cry when it came to handing over the house to the family who were getting it," said Mr Mellon.
The people of Imizamo Yethu pay what they can afford each week so that eventually they will own their houses. The loan given to them by the South African government is interest free and is subsidised by Mr Mellon.
"This has become a great community-building project. It has given hope to millions of people that they themselves can be the solution to their appalling living conditions. It has been 10 years since the new democracy in South Africa came into place but there are still eight million people homeless.
"No human being should live in a shack, full stop. I might have started this project myself but I truly wanted it to be a project of hundreds if not thousands of Irish people, and by doing so send a message to the people of Africa that the Irish are united with their plight."
This year Mr Mellon hopes to build 450 houses, which will house 2,500 South Africans. Information is available at www.irishtownship.com