For immediate release:

After Ireland’s win against Italy this morning, rugby pundit Brent Pope is urging rugby fans to join him and former Irish rugby greats in a home building trip to Zambia with charity Habitat for Humanity Ireland.

Pope will be joined on the trip by former Irish rugby international greats Malcolm O’Kelly, Girvan Dempsey, Bernard Jackman, Paddy Johns, Alan Quinlan, Frankie Sheahan, Paul Wallace, Brian Spillane and Jeremy Davidson and members of the rugby loving public. Between 6th-14th June 2012 the group will build homes in partnership with the local community and play rugby against Zambian teams.

Last June Pope and O’Kelly volunteered on a Habitat for Humanity building project in Zambia.  Pope has also volunteered on Habitat for Humanity’s projects in Ireland. In the last nine years the charity has also built or renovated 10 homes in the Dublin area and partnered with two other non-profits to renovate their housing accommodation for their residents.

“Zambia is a beautiful country, where communities are full of friendly faces and extreme humility, yet those same smiling faces and proud communities are experiencing hardships we cannot imagine,” says Pope.

“The rugby legends will captain five teams of volunteers to build five houses in partnership with families in need. Unlike any other trip, the Legends and the volunteers will live in the local communities and experience what day to day life is like,” says Pope.

Tomorrow, 3^rd October, is World Habitat Day.  This is a day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness of global housing issues. More than 1.6 billion people live in inadequate shelter around the world.  One billion of these live in slums.  By 2030, it is estimated that two billion people will live in slums.

“In recognition of World Habitat Day and the work Habitat for Humanity has done to alleviate poverty housing, we are dedicating our 500,000^th home in Maai Mahiu, Kenya, and we are rising the walls on our 500,001st home in New Jersey, in the United Sates.  This signifies the amount of work that remains to be done and the Legends are part of this work,” says Karen Kennedy, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Ireland.

Brent Pope’s Habitat, a documentary about Brent Pope’s and Malcolm O’Kelly’s  trip to Zambia last June will be broadcast on RTE ONE on Saturday 15 October at 15:50.  To sign up for the trip to Zambia next June visit www.habitatireland.ie.

For more information call Jeannie McCann: 086 897 9092.

Ends

Notes to Editor:

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

Habitat for Humanity Ireland has sent more than 1700 volunteers from Ireland to over 20 countries around the world since 2004.  Volunteers travel in teams from between one to four weeks and partner with local communities to construct or renovate houses.

More than 1500 people have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Ireland.  In the last nine years Habitat has built or renovated 10 homes in the Dublin area and partnered with two other non-profits to renovate their housing accommodation for their residents.

Photos of Brent and Malcolm in Zambia

To find out more about the Brent Pope Rugby Legends Build and to learn about how you can get involved, click here.