Another Year of Colour Run

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It was that exciting time of the year again where our children had the chance to get involved in the “Happiest 5km Run on the planet”! The Color Run in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) took place on Sunday 24th August, and as the charity partner of the event, United Through Sport was very involved in the preparation and organisation for the big day. From packing the goodie bags to manning the “colour stations” on race day, United Through Sport provided over 40 volunteers to ensure the success of the event.

On a few evenings leading up to race day, our international volunteers took pleasure in getting together registration packs and preparing logistics for the run. It was bitter sweet for 20 of the 40 volunteers who would be leaving South Africa just a day before the race, but they made the most of their involvement and had ultimate fun in the registration process.

Having never heard of The Color Run before, the children from the Junior School of Excellence program were super excited to be taking part in such a colourful day! The cold and rainy weather on the morning of the race had no chance of dampening their spirits; they were just too happy and energized to be getting cold! Singing along to their favourite happy tunes and unexpectedly seeing United Through Sport staff at the colour stations shooting them with bursts of colour made the run even more fun for our kids.

The kids had such a blast competing as to who would be the most colourful by the end of the day, with the intention of giving their parents a difficult job getting their clothes clean; the wet weather being great assistance in their plans. It’s not clear who won the most colourful prize though between the United Through Sport volunteers and the kids, as the volunteers were on a mission of their own to end their South African volunteer experience on the happiest and most colourful note!

We were very happy to be nominated as the charity partner in the second year running of The Color Run Port Elizabeth. It indeed proved that last year we did a great job, and we wish to continue with the partnership in the future. All funds donated by The Color Run will go towards our scholarship program, ensuring better educational pathways for the children in the Junior School of Excellence as they progress to high school.

“What a crazy and fun day this was, I just let go and went crazy along with all the runners; it really is the happiest event ever!” – Siyamthanda Ngcakana, Rugby, Junior School of Excellence.

A Different Way to Fundraise

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We love hearing about all the weird and wonderful ways that people like to support and help fundraise for United Through Sport and we encourage you to come up with something unique and interesting.

Recently, sports enthusiasts, Lynsey and Chris Davis, held a naming ceremony for their two children, Max and Ben. Instead of asking for gifts (as we are sure Max and Ben have plenty of toys already!), the very generous couple decided that they would ask friends and family to donate towards United Through Sport, so children less fortunate could also benefit. Through this very simple but effective idea, not only have they been able to raise over £500 but they have also sent out an important message about recognising what we have so that we are able to share more with others.

The ceremony had plenty of people enjoy a fun and gamed fueled day, providing a great opportunity to get friends and family together to celebrate the lives of Max and Ben. Check out a few photos below and a massive thanks goes out to all that have donated to United Through Sport.

If you have an interesting way that you have fundraised for us then get in touch as we want to hear about it.

Brazil Success for South Africa

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“Wow….what a two weeks it has been. I don’t even know where to start! We have just returned from what feels like a dream” – Athapelele Ngwendu, United Through Sport South Africa Scholar.

These were the words of one of our 8 children returning from Brazil having participated in the Street Football World Cup alongside the FIFA event. The trip was to take part in a Football competition but what the group got from it was a whole lot more.

From visiting local Favelas and interacting with the local community to learning Capoeira (a Brazilian form of dance fighting), playing in front of crowds of 100’s in the bustling city centre of Sao Paulo (the largest city in South America) to learning Spanish and making life-long friends with their Argentinean house mates. This trip was filled with such a richness of experiences and learning opportunities that it will take many more weeks to fully digest what they have done and achieved.

On the field the team did extremely well considering their age and background. We cruised through the group stages of the competition with big wins over USA and Costa Rica and a nail biting victory over the Philippines, only to set-up an extremely tough encounter with Ghana in the round of 16. The team were unlucky to lose to a much older, stronger more physical Ghanaian team. From here we moved into a ‘Fair-play’ group which we topped by beating Philippines and Panama and drawing with Sierra Leone, who boasted a full time professional player. Proudly we also finished the competition as one of the few teams to finish with maximum fair-play points for Respect, Cooperation and Solidarity.

Off the field the kids made us even more proud. We proved to be one of the most popular and well supported teams in the competition, especially amongst the locals. This was in no doubt due to the open nature in which our kids engaged with the many other teams and cultures they came across.

A true testament to the impact they had on the other teams was at the fair-well, when we left our house mates from Argentina, Philippines and Panama where endless tears flowed as the new friends were separated for the first time.

It was a truly wonderful trip for the United Through Sport kids that participated which created experiences and memories that will last for a life time. Most important is the lasting impact that the trip has had on their interpersonal skills, their cultural awareness and their aspirations for the future.

“I learned about so many different countries and cultures, I learned Spanish, Portuguese, German and Filipino. We took part in so many discussions and debates and we saw and experienced so many new things. I really feel like our brains were bombarded with new information to learn. It’s left me with a desire to travel more, see more and learn more…I will never forget this experience” – Lindiwe Cezula – United Through Sport South Africa Scholar.

Check out a video of Lindiwe’s trip to the Brazilian World Cup 2014.

Round of 16 Clash with Ghana

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After cruising through the group stages of the Street Football World Cup with three wins, United Through Sport South Africa were given an extremely tough round of 16 clash against Africa Continental Champions Ghana.

Going into the clash, Ghana were regarded as one of the favourites to win the tournament, with a much older and stronger group of players and only one female in their line-up. Ghana also boasted two full time professional players in their ranks. So this was always going to be a David V’s Goliath situation.

The United Through Sport team fought bravely throughout the game and late in the second half looked like possibly causing an upset after coming back from 4-1 down to make the score 4-3 and give Ghana a tense last few minutes.

Unfortunately the upset was not to be and the game finished 5-3 in favour of the older more experienced Ghana side.

Our South Africa side showed their integrity throughout and came away with maximum value points for fair play, respect and cooperation, with Ghana only picking up one point out of three.

We now fall out of the main competition but go into a ‘Fair play’ group to continue to fight for further honours.

“Our team fought really hard and I’m so proud of the fact that they maintained their values and integrity throughout. We are now one of only 5 remaining teams to have picked up maximum value points in all of our games. In context it’s important to remember that we are one of the youngest teams here, with our youngest player being only 14 compared to most teams playing with 20 and 21 year olds. We are also one of the few teams participating with four boys and four girls to give equal gender balance. Lets also remember we have also gone further in the competition than any senior Bafana Bafana team at a World Cup”. Nick Mould – United Through Sport South Africa Coach

Opening Wins in Brazil

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United Through Sport South Africa take maximum points on opening day in Brazil

The United Through Sport team representing South Africa at the Street Football World Cup got off to a dream start on the opening day of the tournament with two wins from two games.

The Street Football World Cup is taking place over the next 7 days with teams from 24 countries around the world competing in the centre of Sao Paulo, Brazil for the coveted title of World Street Football Champions.

United Through Sport is the representative team for South Africa and took 8 young people from our Senior School of Excellence Programme (4 boys and 4 girls) to take part in the tournament. The tournament is not just about Football but places a big emphasis on the cultural exchange; promoting fair-play, respect and cooperation. At the end of each game, teams are awarded a potential extra three points depending on how well the opposition and mediators feel they complied with the aspects promoted.

The team made an unbelievable start beating Costa Rica 5-1 in their first encounter as well as picking up all three extra points for the positive manner in which they played. They then went on to top their first result by beating USA 7-0 in the second game of the day; once again taking maximum points for fair-play, respect and solidarity, to end the day, top of their group.

It was a great first day for the United Through Sport team who were the talk of the day and enjoyed the media attention they received from CNN and Brasil Sport TV.

“We really feel like celebrities here, the children are coming up and asking for photos and autographs and the media cameras are following us around and continuously asking for interviews. It’s such an amazing feeling and to be in Brazil while the World Cup is taking place just makes it even better.” Lorenda Fezile: United Through Sport South Africa team member.

Olympic Team GB Support

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United Through Sport have been given an extremely generous donation of GB Winter Olympic 2014 clothing worth thousands of pounds, used in Sochi, Russia, earlier this year.

Some of this will be taken out to the countries where we work but a lot can be auctioned off to raise much needed funding for the charity. We also don’t think the large quantity of ski and snowboard jackets are going to be needed in Africa!

A big thanks goes out to the GB Olympic Association as well as staff at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) who have been very supportive as we distribute the kit.

With the Youth Olympic Games happening in China this August, will United Through Sport see further association with the GB Olympic Teams?!

Over a 1000 balls donated

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After a generous donation of over a 1000 balls (football, basketball, netball and rugby) and various sports kit from sports manufacturer OPRO, we have been able to distribute this out to our teams in Ghana. A massive thanks goes out to OPRO for this huge support.

“Thank you for the photos! They are lovely. We are extremely happy to see the balls being put to good use.” Sophie Lovat – Development Director

As we continue to build our teams overseas there is a big need to provide a consistent flow of decent sports equipment. Without the right tools for the job we cannot expect our kids to develop to their full potential in their respective sports. So this comes as a huge help.

It is quite a mission for us to ship and transport equipment from the UK overseas, but on rare occasions this is possible. Our preferred method of getting equipment to our partners in Argentina, Ghana and South Africa is to raise funds to purchase the equipment locally. This not only saves the hassle of shipment and import duty costs, it also helps to build up a local economy by supporting sports equipment retailers in the disadvantaged communities where we work.

If you feel you would like to get involved with supporting our equipment distribution project then you can visit our donate page.

One World Futbol Project Kicks Off

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United Through Sport is delighted to announce the commencement of our campaign with One World Futbol Project. As of Tuesday 15th April, you can purchase a nearly indestructible ball and choose to give one to United Through Sport to distribute to underprivileged children in Ghana, South Africa and Argentina.

The One World Futbol is the brainchild of inventor Tim Jahnigen. Mr Jahnigen, witnessed a news clip of children in a Darfur refugee camp playing football with trash wrapped in twine. Moved by what he saw in the children’s faces, Tim conceived the idea of an indestructible football to give children all over the world in poverty; warzones and needy communities the unlimited power of play. Funding for the prototypes came from none other than megastar Sting. Sting, a personal friend of Mr Jahnigen, was also touched by this idea and understood the healing therapy that play gives these children.

United Through Sport hopes to raise in excess of 1000 balls to put thousands of smiles on the faces of underprivileged children. With every ball donated to United Through Sport, our organisation will also receive $5. This money will be used to help build our brand new Sporting School of Excellence in Accra.

The One World Futbol is the same size and weight as a normal football, it also adapts to its environment to play the same on any surface whether that is dust, concrete or grass. If your dog has made your garden look like a graveyard for regular footballs, then you will be delighted to know that Triton the Lion in Johannesburg Zoo couldn’t come close to deflating or even damaging a One World Futbol in two days of rugged testing!

The balls don’t require pumping up. If deflated, they simply take their shape again in seconds, even if ran over by a huge truck! The children we work with do not have a vast array of toys and games, giving them the unlimited power of play gives them the chance to play, practice and most of all smile.

Businesses and individuals that do not wish to have a ball for themselves can elect to give balls in bulk to enable United Through Sport to raise more balls for deprived children, whilst helping us to move closer to building our new School of Excellence to nurture talented individuals in their respective sports and academically.

Please get involved with One World Futbol Project and United Through Sport, whether the ball you purchase is for yourself; your children; your nephews or nieces; your godchildren; your cousins; your neighbour; your dog; your old School; your weekly indoor football game or just to keep in the boot of your car for those precious Summer barbecues, festivals and beach days… see the link below for more information and purchasing.

http://www.oneworldfutbol.com/campaigns/united-through-sport

Academy Reach Finals for First Time

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Our staff and volunteer coaches have been providing daily sessions in the SDA Academy in Castries during their recently concluded National school U19 post season play-offs. Under the guidance of United Through Sport coaches; Jamie Powell and Manish Patel, SDA managed to reach the finals for the first time in their history! Watched on by West Indies Captain and National icon, Darren Sammy, the team were unfortunately to lose in yesterday’s finals to Vieux Fort Comprehensive in front of live cameras and a large crowd. United Through Sport intends to continue its support of the SDA cricket programme, hoping to take the U15’s one step further.

Meet Lindiwe – Our Netball Scholar

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Supported through our School of Excellence Programme in South Africa, Lindiwe comes from a typically tough background having grown up in the township of Kwazakhele in Port Elizabeth without ever knowing her father. Her mother has never worked formally and spent most of Lindiwe’s life away in her original home town of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape. As a result Lindiwe has been mostly brought up by her older sister, along with her two other siblings and nephew. Her older sister runs a ‘Shebeen’ (township drinking bar) in the informal settlement of Gqebera and Lindiwe sleeps in the store room with her cousin, surrounded by beer crates.

Despite her tough circumstances, or perhaps as a result of them, Lindiwe stood out in the United Through Sport Programme as a talented Netball player with an attitude of true grit and determination to succeed. As a result, United Through Sport secured a scholarship for her part way through grade 9 to Pearson High School in 2011. In her first term, the gulf in education looked like it would be too much – she failed every subject scoring only 11% in maths and 13% in English. Yet, Lindiwe had been given this opportunity for a reason and her determination came to the fore. She worked for 5 hours every night to complete her homework and do extra catch up classes , every Friday she would take an English book from the library and read it over the weekend and return it on Monday. Gradually her results improved due to her hardwork and perseverance. Lindiwe is now in grade 12 at Pearson, she is an active member of the debating society and represents the school in Netball. Her ambition is to become a Lawyer and she has applied to four of the top Universities in South Africa. She is on track to be amongst our first group of children to go to University each of whom will be the first in their families to do so.

Lindiwe is not a stand out child of our programme, but rather a typical example of the children we work with who come from such difficult circumstances yet have so much potential to completely change their own lives and the lives of their families for good.

If you would like to support others like Lindiwe then click on the Sponsor a Child link below.