the village of hope seeks to help children infected or affected by hiv, aids and tb in two different ways: we have a 9 bed children's unit to support those infected by hiv and aids and we also run a community-based sports and lifeskills outreach in the informal settlements and squatter camps each afternoon.

this blog has been set up to allow the key members of the team at the village of hope to share their thoughts, photos and experiences as we work in the community of grabouw in south africa

Thursday, July 10, 2014

world cup based sports outreach


with the world cup underway, we decided to stage a tournament for a hundred of the local children living in the various communities of Grabouw. these are some of the most needy children in our town, and with their home lives so unstable, it’s nice to offer them a break from the hardships they face every single day.

we divided our existing 9 sports clubs into 9 teams that each represented one of the countries playing in the world cup. we also taught them some information about the country they were representing in the week leading up to the tournament.

then, on the morning of Friday 4th July, we held the contest at a local school’s playing field. the weather was wild, and setting up was made difficult due to the strong wind, but with the help of both dedicated volunteers (emma, shae, aubrei, polly, jenny and barbara) and of course our sports mentors, we were soon ready to play.

the sun had now come out, and the sight of a hundred kids doing one of the things they enjoy most was heartwarming. the competition was intense, but always played in a fun spirit and most importantly they had a great time. food was provided by barbara, as well as another local school cooking lunch for all the kids.

unlike the current world cup brazil came out as the eventual winners, and the enthusiasm of the kids ensures that there will be many more days like this!

written by josh holtrum

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