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JOY FOR HISTORY MAKERS
Community Courage in Valley of a 1000 Hills
Making a Difference
Soccer Coach, Pitso Njapha, of the History Makers soccer team from KwaNyuswa in the Valley of a 1 000 Hills is a very, very happy man. He has just been presented with brand new soccer balls by Pramodhl and Priscilla Singh and by the Advice Desk of the Abused.
Light Providers started the History Makers soccer team some years ago as one of its many sport initiative. It committed its passion to provide access to sport for the youth of KwaNyuswa. This was done with moderate means and limited support.
Pitso’s office is a dusty unlevel playing field with no grass or markings. Two sets of goal posts border the uneven field where Pitso coaches u/13, u/15 and u/17 teams from the Nyuswa Senior Primary School in KwaNyuswa
Pitso started the History Makers soccer team some years ago with moderate means and lots of passion. His office is a dusty unlevel playing field with no grass or markings. Two sets of goal posts border the uneven field where Siphoso coaches u/13, u/16 and u/17 teams from a school in KwaNyuswa
On weekends. Pitso coaches his History Makers Team and co-ordinates tournaments and events for History Makers.
Against all odds, History Makers, a Team of heroes, has won several games and tournaments. Trophies showing the courage of the History Makers Team are proudly displayed at the Light Providers Community Centre in KwaNyuswa.
Pitso and Tseko (Sport Manager at Light Providers), desperate for soccer equipment for his Team, approached Thekwini Sports Academy’s Lisa Bradshaw for assistance. Pitso, Tseko and Lisa first met shortly before the 2010 FIFA World Cup and discovered they shared a passion for sport.
Pitso and Tseko introduced Lisa to Light Providers, a registered non profit organisation founded in 2005 by Vusi Kweyama, working primarily with young people in the region of KwaNyuswa.
The Light Providers’ Centre houses the only library in the area and services the needs of the 40 000 population. Light Providers offers the KwaNyuswa community a training room and meeting facilities which are enthusiastically booked well in advance.
The Light Providers Youth Club is an extraordinary organization and is selflessly led by Executive Director, Siyanda Chonco. It offers its community counseling and guidance on a range of social issues from HIV and AIDS to abuse, rape and drug addiction. More than 150 youngsters are mentored each year on a regular basis. Others are assisted on a needs basis.
The Light Providers Youth Club also supports the History Makers Soccer Team and its Coach, Pitso.
Lisa Bradshaw was so in awe of what Siyanda, Pitso and the Light Providers were doing for their own community that she rallied support for their cause. Enlisting the support of associates Don Leffler of the Tourism, Hospitality & Sports Business School (THSBS) and Dawn Haynes of Voice Pro, Lisa co-ordinated the donation of books and DVD’s for the library at KwaNyuswa.
Grateful for her support, Light Providers and Pitso, recently approached Lisa Bradshaw of Thekwini Sports Academy for assistance to get soccer balls for the school soccer teams and for History Makers.
Lisa, with an introduction from THSBS’s Don Leffler, found willing support from Pramodh and Priscilla Singh who traveled to KwaNyuswa in the Valley of 1 000 Hills to present Pitso with new soccer balls for his teams.
Priscilla also presented Siyanda Chonco of the Light Providers Youth Club with a full set of school science encyclopedias for the library at the Light Providers Centre.
The situation in the region of KwaNyuswa is characterized by serious social considerations – the underlying causes of which are deeply interconnected. These conditions include large levels of crime, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, rape, women and child abuse HIV/AIDS and unemployment.
Like many townships in KZN, KwaNyuswa has huge social and economic challenges. They need ongoing support and assistance to develop their community. It is organizations like Light Providers and individual heroes like Pitso and Siyanda that make a difference with their passion and tireless efforts for little personal reward or recognition.
People and organizations interested in supporting Light Providers and the History Makers Soccer Team may contact the Light Providers Youth Club at email s.chonco@lightproviders.com and visit its website at www.lightproviders.com.
Contact information:
Light Providers:Website: www.lightproviders.com Email: info@lightproviders.com
Thekwini Sports Academy: Website www.thekwinisportsacademy.co.za Email: lisaman@rttc.co.za)
THSBS (Tourism, Hospitality & Sport Business School): Website www.thsbs.com Email: info@tourismtraining.co.za
The Advice Desk for the Abused: Toll-free telephone number (0800 24321 or 0800 204160) and a help desk manned by volunteers like Pramodh and Priscilla Singh from an office at the University of KZN. Website: www.advicedesk.org.za. Email: info@advicedesk.org.za.
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