SOUTH AFRICA: Niall Mellon and his 700-strong volunteer group of Irish builders knew they faced a daunting task when the target of building over 100 homes in 12 days at the Imizamo Yethu township in Hout Bay was set.
But no one expected Cape Town's notoriously destructive wind, the Cape Doctor - so named because it blows so hard it clears pollutants from the air around the city - to become part of the challenge.
Nevertheless, by Thursday morning last week, the unthinkable had occurred: high winds and torrential rain had swept 30 - or half - of the Niall Mellon Township Challenge's newly constructed homes from Hout Bay's picturesque landscape.
Deirdre Grant, the challenge's public relations officer, put the setback down to the type of mortar the builders were using.
"We were using 36-hour mortar, which is slower setting than normal mortar but is more economical because you can use it for longer. When the storm came through though, the mortar hadn't set so the houses were flattened," she said despondently.
As Friday drew to a close, Mellon refused to be drawn on whether his gathering of volunteer builders from across Ireland had managed to overcome the setback and stick two fingers up at the weather.
"I don't want to say until we get the final count in," he said as we walked towards the upper end of the township, effectively a squatter camp of corrugated iron and plastic sheeting sheds. "But these people [ the Irish volunteers] here are great, no matter how many houses we get to finish."
Walking around the township adopted by the Irish philanthropist three years ago, you could see what he was talking about. The vast majority of South Africa's whites do not set foot in townships. But for the 12 days of Mellon's 2005 challenge, the Irish builders - who each raised at least €4,000 to take part - appeared to have fused seamlessly with the Imizamo Yethu community.
It was not uncommon in the couple of hours I was there to see a small, black child clinging to the hand of a burly builder, both walking contentedly through the township's narrow streets. Indeed, it appeared many of the builders were adopted by individual South Africans for the duration of their stay.
Mary Maher from Baldoyle, and Caitríona Fogarty from Dalkey, both Dublin, put the ability of the builders and the South Africans to connect down to the locals' sense of dignity despite appalling living conditions.
"This trip puts everything into perspective. These people really have nothing at all, but they are very proud and have a huge sense of who they are. They have such spirit, and are so engaging with you. I'm just blown away," said marketing consultant -turned-labourer Caitríona, who only decided to take the challenge after seeing RTÉ's Late Late Show's recent coverage of it.
The whole experience had such an impact on Mary she has already decided to take part again. "You just can't come out here for one week. I want to give a commitment, keep fundraising and helping. This is important," she said.
As the day wore on, the important work of reaching their goal continued even though you could tell the volunteers were on their last legs after the minimum 12-hour-a-day shifts each had endured for the week.
Barrister-come-materials distributor Gavin Bonner, on the challenge for the third time, said he was able to keep going through the long days because he gets out more than he puts in.
"I find it difficult to put into words, which is strange because I'm a barrister so I speak for a living. But you just get this incredible high from trying to help change people's lives for the better. It is quite a miraculous sensation," said Bonner, husband of musician Sharon Corr.
Throughout the building site, signs to inspire the workers to reach their lofty goals were stuck to trees. "In Imizamo Yethu everything is possible," everybody was reminded.
And if participation was not rewarding enough, each day the results of their labour allowed for moments of genuine euphoria. Once a house's construction was complete, the builders basked in the warmth of handing it over to a lucky family.
Patience Magwaca and her three children were ecstatic with their new home. The 34-year-old had been living in awful conditions in the township for the past 10 years in a state of fear for her children's lives.
"This is my dream come through. I'm so excited because it will be such a difference to have a toilet, electricity and clean, running water," she with a smile from ear to ear. "I feel safe now. I cannot thank the Irish enough."
Such was the spirit of giving that, as the builders left the site for the last time, many gave their boots, shirts and bags to township dwellers - and travelled back to their hotel in nothing but a pair of shorts.
And, for the record, the Niall Mellon Township Challenge 2005 managed to complete 106 new houses.
This will give around 800 people a proper home, something they never had until last Friday.