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Dutch Hockey Team Visit South Africa

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On the 07th August 2012, United Through Sport was pleased to host Were Di Tilburg, a Dutch Hockey team on a South African tour. A total of 39 people were with the group; which consisted of two girls’ teams and the coaching staff.

The girls had been on tour for a few days before visiting our organisation and had been playing against some of the best schools in the country. Our visit would be slightly different for the girls though; we would give them some insight to the less fortunate areas of our country; get them to mingle with children in disadvantaged schools, do some coaching with them and exchange cultural values and beliefs.

Before getting to the Junior School of Excellence (JSE) for a coaching clinic, we took the group on a township tour, which included a visit to a local museum and a visit to a “Sangoma” (an African traditional healer). A couple of the girls and staff got dressed up in the Sangoma dress code, which was quite a beautiful sight and an awesome experience for them!

At the JSE the Dutch players got involved in mentoring session where the girls taught the kids some Dutch songs and games and had a good time; learning a bit more about their backgrounds. The girls were a bit emotional and really had a heart-warming session with the kids, they came out of the session with a different perspective on life; they all seemed to be on a mission to complain less and appreciate more in life as their eyes were opened up to the hardships people face daily within our communities. At the end of the session, lunch was served for everyone and the girls moved on to the second part of the coaching before their matches with the Gelvandale semi-professional hockey teams.

The last part of the day before the matches was coaching at the Gelvandale hockey turf, which the girls enjoyed very much and got them ready for their matches later that evening. The atmosphere was amazing at the clubhouse, with the Dutch players feeling right at home hearing Afrikaans, which is very similar to Dutch! Were Di Tilburg junior girls won their game while the senior took a beating from the local team. The presentation after the matches was an amazing time for both teams to bond. Gifts were exchanged and the two clubs wished each other well and good relations were built, in the hope of crossing paths again in the near future. The relationship has now inspired the Gelvandale Hockey Club (a team made up of players from previously disadvantaged backgrounds) to aim to tour Holland in 2014.

A few weeks after the visit, we were happy to receive 9 pallets of boxes of hockey equipment and kit that Were Di Tilburg donated to us, including 900 hockey sticks and 120 tracksuits. The teams had started with collecting the donations and raising funds before their departure, so that the shipment could arrive soon after their visit. United Through Sport is thrilled at the start of the relationship and hopes it will continue long into the future.

“The children we met today had so little and yet they were so happy and friendly and welcoming to us. It’s definitely taught me about appreciating what I have and being kinder to others”, Dutch Player, Were Di Tilburg.

Our Kids Visit the Lion Park

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As the term came to the end for a three week school holiday, it was time to reward the Junior School of Excellence (JSE) children for their dedication throughout the term. A big bang at the end of each term is a good way to keep the children motivated. This was also a great way of getting our older Senior School of Excellence (SSE) kids to ‘give back’ by chaperoning the JSE kids and providing some mentorship during the day.

On the 26th June 2012, eleven UTS staff and six SSE kids chaperoned fifty children from the JSE on a trip to Seaview Lion Park. The selection is based on the reward system we use at the JSE for the most consistent attendees. As well as 30 lions the park also boasts other big cats such as tigers, leopards, cheetahs and a beautiful panther cub; a rare sight to behold. The children got to see some of their favourite wild animals, and were excited to be in such close proximity to them! Giraffes, zebras, impalas and many more animals freely roam around the park. To make the experience more fun, snacks were prepared for them to enjoy while spotting the wildlife and after leaving the park, everyone was treated to a yummy lunch at KFC!

The day was an amazing start to their holiday and a great way for the children to bond with each other, outside the school environment. It was the ideal opportunity for the older SSE children to share information about their experiences of the change from a township school to a multi-racial one, and a great way to keep the younger children inspired to do their best so they could also be selected for the SSE next year.

As the organisation, it is vital for us to engage kids from our programs in fun, social activities, especially activities that are educational and that broaden their perspectives in more ways than one. The day trip to Seaview was much appreciated by the kids, something they will never forget; they couldn’t wait to get home and share their incredible experience with their families!

John & Richard Run Comrades (89km)

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A huge thanks goes out to John Shirley and Richard Leech for raising £1500 towards our work. We need even more incredible people like them to get involved with exciting fundraising challenges; not only do you achieve yourself but you also help provide a platform for thousands of kids to reach their potential and achieve in greater areas of their own life!

John and Richard’s Story:
You are probably asking, “Why are we running 89km on Sunday 3rd of June from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in Comrades the biggest and best ultramarathon of our times?”

– Are we crazy? May be!
– Are we celebrating the queens jubilee? We’ll leave that for you to decide.
– Drinking? Yes, of course!
Back in 2010 Richard and I were enjoying a poolside beer at Jafa’s in Hanoi. As usual, I was harping on about this great running book “The Lore of Running” and mentioned one of the featured legends “Bruce Fordyce”, he won Comrades 9 times, unbelievable! Turns out Richard has met Bruce and has lived in Durban so Richard suddenly said “I’d love to run Comrades”. The beer tasted good and the thought of running comrades 89km in the distant future seemed a romantic possibility so I replied. “Why not? I’ll join you!”…….. Now, today, we are about to take on a challenge that seemed totally unthinkable to us even 6 months ago.

Thanks guys for your hard work and achievement.

Youth Day Celebrations in South Africa

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To celebrate Youth Day, we held an event on 15th June in partnership with Love Life and Letsema Circle at the Jabavu Rugby Stadium in Kwa-Nobuhle, Uitenhage. The Department of Health, Education, Home Affairs were also involved on the day, with stations set up for Diabetes testing, High Blood Pressure and HIV/AIDS testing (DoH), and birth registration and ID registration (DoHA). Ten schools from the community were invited to the event and our volunteers were happy to get a feel of what other organisations do.

Opening the event were performances by the youth of Kwa-Nobuhle, including traditional dancing and musicals based on the history and the meaning of June 16. This was also very educational to our international volunteers; getting the deeper meaning and importance of their involvement on this day. The theme of the event was centred on bridging the gap between the youth and their parents, where the parents are of support to the youth. The youth were to enjoy the activities planned, together with their parents, engaging in sport and educational programmes.

Dialogue was opened between the adults and the young people on topics affecting youth in society. Issues such as peer pressure, the difference in generations and times that affect the parent-child relationship were discussed in groups. Options for a channel of communication between the child and the parents were discussed as it was discovered that this was a prevalent problem in the community. We know firsthand how most of the children in our programmes are too scared to approach their parents with their problems and prefer to talk to our life skills coaches instead. The Love Life team also had an open discussion on the challenges of youth as well as information sharing on career guidance.

On the sports side of the event, we were doing what we know best; engaging 104 young people in sports and life skills activities, using the Yputh Development through Sports (YDS) toolkit to discuss HIV/AIDS. The children were ecstatic to have such fun activities which catered for their age group, compared to the norm of listening to speeches all day long. They also got to watch two soccer matches; one of which being a ladies game. Also organised was a boxing bout and a taebo session.

The event had a total reach of 823 people. Love Life had 63 youth in their discussions and Letsema had a total of 53 taking part in their activities. The health department tested a total of 37 for HIV/AIDS and 51 for high blood pressure and diabetes. The department also distributed a total of 6000 condoms on the day. The department of home affairs had a total of 30 enquiries on the day, which were applications for identity documents and birth registration.

This event was a great success, especially since it was a first of its kind in this community. Our international volunteers were happy to experience such events that bring out the culture and history of South Africa. We received positive feedback from the community, with the wish of having more events like this. All partners in the event are happy to have been part of it and to have brought activities to the community of Kwa-Nobuhle to celebrate Youth Day.

“I had such a great time at the stadium, dancing and playing with the kids but also learnt a great deal about the struggles that South African youth went through.” – Stacey Watson, Football Coaching Volunteer from Canada.

North Halifax Schools take on the Gold Challenge

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We have taken the excitement of the Olympics, and we’re running with it…literally!

The Olympics has landed on our doorstep and in order to raise our sporting spirits, The North Halifax Federation of Schools, have taken on the Gold Challenge in order to support United Through Sport.

Children and staff from five of their primary schools (Moorside Primary, Ash Green Primary, St. Malachy’s Catholic Primary, Lee Mount Primary and Bradshaw Primary) and one of their secondary schools (Trinity Academy), will be pushing themselves in this attempt to complete 2012km, all in time for the start of the Olympic Games. In various events planned across the different schools, they are planning to run, walk and cycle in order to cover this distance.

A massive thanks goes out to them and good luck with the Gold Challenge.

If you would like to get involved with the Gold Challenge for your school then email [email protected] with your details and interest. You may even want to support the North Halifax Schools by sponsoring them here.

The Journey Continues: Malawi, Zambia & Botswana

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May has seen a busy month for our man Richard Bennett as he heads down through the African continent taking Rugby and important educational messages to thousands of kids.

Over the past few weeks the team of 6 have visited schools in Malawi (Mngwangwa Full Primary School) and Zambia (Nahumba Basic School), empowering local school teachers and coaches to work with the kids on an ongoing basis. Decent sports equipment has been left in each of the schools as well as link ups with UK based schools to continue the support after the team moved on.

Many pupils turned out in their hundreds to support their classmates in the rugby tournaments, with all children enjoying themselves and trying their hardest at the game; many cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines.

Head of P.E. at Nahumba Basic School in Zambia said the following about the visit:

“We have really enjoyed this week. Especially as the game doesn’t exist here yet – it has been a pleasure learning the game. The pupils are enjoying it very much and the ones who don’t play are eager to join in. We want to continue when you leave and go to other schools to teach them so we can have competitions. It would be my pleasure to spread rugby among the adults in Choma as well!”

The journey now sees the team head South into Botswana, with the final two destinations being Namibia and South Africa. Richard will spend time working alongside Nick Mould (Country Director) at our permanent United Through Sport base in South Africa (Port Elizabeth) where we currently work with over 20,000 kids. We are looking forward to welcoming the team and we are sure a long overdue haircut will be in order!

Facilities Boost for School of Excellence

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There have been some exciting new developments at the Junior School of Excellence (JSE); the sports facilities are looking great! The children are very excited to start playing on their upgraded facilities, which will do wonders for their skills development. The upgrade of the facilities was sponsored by terres des homes Germany through the, ‘A Chance To Play Programme’ as part of their on-going support of United Through Sport’s mission to bring the opportunity of playing structured sports activities to every child in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The all round facility upgrade included building a new netball court, two cricket nets, rugby and football posts, a spectator stand for up to 70 people and purchasing an industrial lawn mower and line marking machine to allow the school to maintain the rugby and football fields.

The new facilities have now allowed the School to enter into the local Super 12 competition where they will be the only township school competing. This was previously not possible as they were unable to host home matches against top (former model c) schools. The children are all very excited at the thought of hosting multi-racial schools and playing against “abelungu” (white people) at home, as this will be a first amongst the township schools of the area.

These new facilities have been a great boost for the school and fantastic starting point, the next goal is to raise funds to extend the netball court to a tennis court and improve the hockey playing surface.

“I am so excited to play our first match at home, it will be the first time my dad can come and watch me play, and he will sit in the stands to watch me, like I am a professional!” – Zizipho Ndongeni, 12 yrs old, grade 7

Over 8500 Children Enjoy Sports

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The Mass Participation Programme (MPP) has continued to reach new heights in the first half of the year; reaching 43 schools and a total of 8600 kids with a total of 12 sessions per child in sports and life skills activities, totalling 103,200 sessions!

The MPP not only closes the sports gap (as physical education is no longer offered by teachers in these schools), but our life skills coaches bridge the generation gap between parent and child in some of these children’s lives. The fact that we have young energetic staff hailing from the same communities makes it easy for the children to approach them and open up about personal matters they are not completely comfortable talking to teachers about.

Having the international volunteers involved in this programme is a great advantage as the children love to engage with them and learn about their different cultures and backgrounds. Mixing with international coaches makes the children highly motivated and broadens their horizons to the wider world beyond the township.

“As this is our longest running program, it is heart warming to know that we still continue to bring joy and excitement to thousands of children in the communities of Nelson Mandela Bay and surrounding areas while still managing to impart key life skills and educational messages!” – Hannah Clare, General Manager, United Through Sport.

Gold Challenge Olympic Stadium Event

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Last Sunday saw thousands gather at the Olympic Stadium for a once in a life time opportunity to step onto the athletics track with a lucky few even taking part in a 100m race.

Members of the public were taking part in the Gold Challenge Event – a key test event at the Olympic stadium, whilst raising money for charity, including United Through Sport. The Gold Challenge stadium event was a fantastic celebratory event for partners and Gold Challengers, rewarding them for their fundraising and sporting achievements.

Former rugby internationals Austin Healey and Gareth Thomas took to the track and other celebrities including Katie Price also made an appearence.

Everyone who attended played an important role in helping London 2012 prepare for the Games. This is all part of the preparation for the Greatest Show on Earth!

You still have time to take on the Gold Challenge yourself by registering your details here: http://goo.gl/uo3Lu

Thanks to all that took part and making it a truely fantastic day out.

UTS visits schools in Ethiopia and Kenya

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For the last month a team has been heading down through Europe and into Africa to deliver Rugby and other sports sessions as a platform to improve health, education and build life skills in young people.

Richard Bennett, leading the team gives us his update:
Our first school visit was set for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and, to get there, the team drove 10,000km in 32 days, overland from the UK, through Europe and North Africa. After a day spent at local government school, Kokebetsibah, arranged by partner NGO, Plan UK, we moved to Adama where we’d be based for the week, coaching pupils and staff at Nafyad School and Adama No. 2 Elementary.

Rugby is not a known sport in Ethiopia, so we caused quite an interest… Maximising Nafyad’s timetabled PE lessons, we saw over 600 pupils a day, got the staff playing touch rugby and finished the week with a multi-year group tournament, with local staff refereeing some of the matches. It came as no surprise when Ethiopian TV journalists arrived with their camera to report on the action, featuring our visit that night on the news!

Results from the visit:
Number of pupils coached – 1240
Amount of pupils participating in 3 or more sessions – 44%
Male : Female – 60 : 40
Number of buddy coaches* – 7
Number of local staff empowered – 2

*Buddy coach = local member of staff supporting our coaches during a rugby session.

Abraham Legese, P.E. Teacher, Nafyad School said the following:
“We are very happy because having United Through Sport and Bhubesi Pride here is very lovely for us. It is important that all players are equal. Through learning about the values of rugby, people begin to respect each other, and there is a sense of unity and community in the school. The children must develop good behaviour and be sociable to each other”
Moving on to Kenya.

To reach our next partner school involved a long drive south to Nairobi in Kenya: Shadrack Kimalel, on the edge of the Kibera slum. A severely underprivileged community, we saw nothing but talent and enthusiasm for a game perfect for the pupils here, displaying natural ability and athleticism. Adding further value to our work at Shadrack, our coaching team was joined by students from our host school for the week, Brookhouse School, who autonomously delivered fantastic sessions.

Results from the visit:
Number of pupils coached – 450
Amount of pupils participating in 3 or more sessions – 60%
Male : Female – 60 : 40
Number of buddy coaches – 3
Number of local staff empowered – 1 (5 Brookhouse students develop coaching skills)

Thanks to all who are involved with this exciting project and we look forward to updating you again soon.