our work / Life lessons through sport

Winter Rose Active Community Club in the Eastern Cape offers the chance for children from a very poverty stricken community to play, lead a healthy life and develop important life skills and knowledge.

The early childhood programme offers vital stimulation and developmental activities for children aged 2 to 6, and the junior programme gets those aged up to 15 active, healthy and occupied and so helps to steer them away from potentially damaging behaviour.

Unemployed young people are offered training to become community coaches and so develop the confidence to find other paid employment.

Says Songezo Victor Sam, the project coordinator: "We try to involve young people who have failed at school or could not find a job. They work as coaches and volunteers for our sports programme and gain new self-esteem from it. Being trained as coaches helps them to take responsibility for their own lives".