While world-famous footballers compete in state-of-the-art stadiums for the World Cup, South Africa’s vulnerable children have been playing their own tournament in the heart of one of the country’s poorest townships.
Some of the young footballers who took part in the event are among the 1.2 million children in South Africa today who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. With many of them having to care for younger siblings while surviving on less than $1 a day.
The event was attended by South African Premier League footballer Manqoba ‘Shakes’ Ngwenya from the Mamelodi Sundowns who presented the trophy to the winning team – Vuma Primary School. The day coincided with South Africa’s official ‘Vuvuzela Moment’ and all children were given a Vuvuzela which they blew for five minutes at 12pm to mark the occasion.
Joe Glackin, our Head of Strategic Development, commented,
“The football tournament has been a great opportunity for children to come together to have fun and to share in the excitement that has been created by the World Cup. Although it is a sad fact that life is extremely challenging for many young people growing up in South Africa today we are often inspired by the resilience and optimism of the children we work with and their determination to build a positive future for themselves.”
