Client
Mellon Educate
Our support
Sponsorship & Volunteering
Location
South Africa
Proudly Supporting Mellon Educate and Their Life-Changing Work
At Access Plastics, we are proud to support the incredible efforts of Mellon Educate, a charity that has transformed the lives of thousands of children and families in South African townships over the past 20 years. Mellon Educate’s mission to improve literacy and education access, while simultaneously empowering unemployed youth, resonates deeply with our values.
About Mellon Educate
Since its founding in 2002, Mellon Educate has worked tirelessly to create brighter futures for impoverished communities in South Africa. Initially focused on building homes, the charity provided safe shelter for 175,000 people by constructing over 25,000 homes in some of the poorest townships.
In 2013, Mellon Educate shifted its focus to education, aiming to improve access to quality schooling for children in underserved areas. Over the last 10 years, the charity has built or renovated 36 schools and directly enhanced the education of 50,000 children. Their ambition is to extend this support to hundreds of thousands more children over the next decade, through their flagship Mellon Educate Literacy Programme.
The Mellon Educate Literacy Programme
The Literacy Programme was launched in 2018 and is designed to address the appallingly high rates of illiteracy among primary school-aged children in South Africa, where 78% of 9-10-year-olds are unable to read for meaning. This foundational issue significantly reduces the likelihood of children staying in school and achieving long-term educational success.
To combat this crisis, Mellon Educate created a structured literacy programme for the foundation phase of education, which provides one-on-one tutoring in specially developed Literacy Hubs and community-based libraries. These hubs, built and resourced by Mellon Educate, create an environment where children can gain critical literacy skills and learn to read with comprehension.
But the programme doesn’t stop with the children. Mellon Educate also empowers unemployed youth aged 18-28 by training them as Community Literacy Tutors. This innovative approach not only enhances literacy but also provides young people with valuable qualifications and sustainable employment opportunities. It’s a double-impact initiative that addresses both education and unemployment in township communities.
The Building Blitz: Changing Lives in 7 Days
One of Mellon Educate’s most inspiring initiatives is its annual “Building Blitz,” where volunteers from all over the world come together to build and renovate schools in South Africa’s most impoverished areas. Over the years, volunteers have constructed vital educational infrastructure, including classrooms, libraries, kitchens, and sanitation facilities. The Blitz is not just about building schools—it’s about building hope, opportunity, and brighter futures for thousands of children.
Our very own Country Manager, Myles Conlon, has participated in the Building Blitz for the past seven years, working alongside other passionate volunteers to create better learning environments.
Access Plastics’ Support
This year, Access Plastics proudly supported Mellon Educate’s Literacy Hat Challenge, sponsoring a Literacy Hat to help six children gain access to literacy support for an entire year. The sponsorship also supports the training of community-based tutors who help make this programme possible.
At Access Plastics, we believe that education is the foundation for a brighter future. Supporting Mellon Educate allows us to contribute to a transformative mission that addresses not only the immediate needs of children but also the long-term development of communities.
Why We Support Mellon Educate
Mellon Educate’s work is an inspiring example of how collective action can create lasting change. By tackling the literacy crisis and providing meaningful employment opportunities, they are equipping children and youth with the tools to build better lives and brighter futures.
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” At Access Plastics, we are honoured to support a cause that lives by this principle.
