What We Do
In a sporty sort of nutshell, United Through Sport supports four outreach programmes in South Africa, working in collaboration with our in-country partner, The Umzingisi Foundation, to deliver sporting opportunities for over 15,000 disadvantaged children.
- Mass Participation Programme (MPP) >
- After School Programme (ASP) >
- School of Sporting Excellence (SSE) >
- Youth Development Through Sport (YDS) >
Get Involved
United Through Sport has three life changing ways for you to get involved with the work we do in South Africa, from volunteering as a sports coach in South Africa, to organising fundraising events in your local community, to donating some or your own hard-earned cash to our projects!
Mission Statement
Our mission is to encourage sustainable peer-led social change among the youth in South Africa by using sports as a tool to leverage peer influence through increased life skills, including developing leadership, reducing at-risk behaviours, improving social connectedness, advancing health awareness, and encouraging responsible citizenship in a fun and interactive way.
Background
United Through Sport and The Umzingisi Foundation actively promote and enhance opportunities for children from disadvantaged communities in the Nelson Mandela Bay area, giving them the chance to take part in structured sport and life skills sessions. South Africa is a socially diverse country where the gap between rich and poor is vast. The country competes at the top level in several international sports yet the huge majority of children from historically disadvantaged areas are not afforded the same opportunities as those from traditionally privileged backgrounds.
United Through Sport and The Umzingisi Foundation work in the schools and townships of Ibhayi and the northern areas, where the communities remain disadvantaged from the historical struggle against apartheid. Umzingisi is committed to developing life skills through sport amongst the vulnerable youth on a mass participation level. Sport programmes are run in local communities focusing on rugby, netball, cricket, soccer, hockey, swimming, and tennis. The aim of these projects is to empower citizens and consolidate communities in their social, institutional and economic wellbeing.
Project Needs Analysis
Township schools in South Africa lack physical education on their syllabuses for a multitude of reasons. There is little motivation from the national government to assist schools in providing physical education. In fact, it is estimated that in 2005 the government spent as little as 40cents on the physical education of each child in the country. Hence, it is up to the schools to go the extra mile if they wish to provide their students with any kind of sporting activity. There are few teachers trained to coach and lead sports and certainly no jobs for those who specialise in physical education. This neglect of physical education in schools leads to a stagnation in the development of young adults and they miss out on the social, cognitive and, most importantly, holistic benefits of participating in sport. Moreover, many challenges faced by South African children and youth derive from constant exposure to high levels of at-risk situations, making them vulnerable, fragile and easy to manipulate. This often results in at-risk behaviour compensating insufficient social abilities as well as limited approaches toward conflict resolution, limited knowledge of ways to improve and maintain health and limited life opportunities.
Illnesses, unemployment, malnutrition, violence, alcoholism and extreme poverty are still forcing many of the Nelson Mandela Bay’s estimated 1.3 million inhabitants to live in critical conditions. As in other parts of the country, an estimated 32% live with HIV/AIDS and nearly 60% of the people in the townships are unemployed. As these misfortunes claim the lives of the generation recovering from apartheid, many children are staying with neighbours, aunts, grandparents, or on their own. Now, more than ever, peers and siblings are playing an increasingly vital role in the socialization of South African youth. Our programmes are focused on using sport to develop life skills and raise awareness on a variety of social and health issues which are a daily challenge to beneficiaries.
Our Results
Our youth development programmes have a proven track record, which shows the tremendous potential of sport to impact educational aspirations, grades and achievement scores, self-esteem, self-confidence and social connectedness to reduce delinquency and school drop-outs. Our efforts complement the traditional mentoring / role model strategy by empowering the young participants to take responsibility and be sustainable 'change agents' within their own community.
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with the work we do in South Africa, either by donating money to our outreach programmes or by volunteering as a sports coach in South Africa, find out how you can by using the links below.
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