Seven hundred Irish builders are travelling to Cape Town shortly at their own expense to build houses in a black township, in what South African housing minister Lindiwe Sisulu calls "a gift of love directly to the people of South Africa".
Speaking on a visit to Dublin, Dr Sisulu said the Irish builders were providing a new, practical definition of development aid. "It's incredible," she said. "This year we have exceeded our wildest dreams."
Now in its third year, the project is the brainchild of Dublin property developer and philanthropist Niall Mellon. In 2003 a total of 154 Irish builders raised the money to pay their airfare and other costs and went to Imizamo Yethu, a shantytown, where they built 25 houses in a week.
Last year 350 Irish workers took part and this year the number doubled. An advance party of 200 will travel out on October 28th, with the remaining 500 arriving on November 4th. During their two-week stay the group will build between 100 and 120 houses for families currently living in shacks without running water or indoor sanitation.
"Niall has managed to galvanise Irish society into coming to assist us because of the enormous challenges around housing," said Dr Sisulu, a daughter of anti-apartheid leader Walter Sisulu.
"Quite often, aid comes in the form of money donated to governments. The ordinary people, who are the final beneficiaries, might not even understand or see the benefits of that aid. With a house, there is absolutely no doubt: here is aid in your hand, it is your house, it is an asset, it is yours forever. It is the most direct way in which any people can contribute to the wellbeing of another people and I'm extremely appreciative of it."
There was an "acute" housing shortage in South Africa. In part this was a legacy of the apartheid system of systematic racial discrimination which excluded black people from urban areas under the notorious Pass Laws.
With the advent of democracy in 1994 and the lifting of these restrictions, there was a massive influx into the urban areas where the housing infrastructure did not exist. "We have 40 years backlog of housing to deal with," she said.
Mr Mellon said he was "overwhelmed" by the response to the township project this year. The volunteers were organising events around Ireland to raise funds: "I urge everyone to give as generously as they can to these fundraisers, as every single cent donated goes directly to the charity and means more houses for some of the poorest people in South Africa." The developer himself has donated €1 million.