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Hoops 4 Hope News & Updates From Our H4H Champions
H4H All Stars Have World Cup Fever!
Bryce and Shoes Travel Coast to Coast! Earlier this summer H4H West Coast Champions and Father/Son Duo Tim and Bryce Sexton drove 3,000 miles in a hybrid towing vehicle, bringing donated shoes to the H4H shipping container in East Hampton, NY! Bryce collected over 700 pairs of sneakers at his 2nd Annual Hoops 4 Hope event, along with his 7 Arrows School and the Santa Monica Boys and Girls Club. . .all for kids at H4H in southern Africa! Thank you for another year of amazing efforts, Bryce!
*12th Annual Hoops 4 Hope Summer Benefit* Saturday, August 7th Sagaponack, NY 5-‐7pm: VIP EA Sports “NBA Elite 11” Reception 6-‐9pm: Cocktails, Hors D’oeuvres, Entertainment, Live & Silent Auctions, and MORE! Tickets Start at $250 For purchase and event info: www.hoops4hope2010.eventbrite.com Or visit www.hoopsafrica.org Help Support Hoops 4 Hope Today!
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JUNE/JULY 2010
My World Cup Experience Written by WeWe Sokoyi In 2009 our program Soccer 4 Hope formed a partnership with the GTZ. Through this, Soccer 4 Hope became part of the German Youth Development through Football network. This partnership has helped to create a powerful and fruitful relationship that has benefitted me, Khayelitsha, and the other communities in which I work. Through this partnership, Soccer 4 Hope, in partnership with other YDF organizations, held our biggest holiday program ever during the 2010 World Cup. We formed new exciting partnerships that will help us deliver better programs to the youth we work with. The holiday program was a great success, when looking back to the children and young adult’s lives we had impact on. The World Cup brought so many amazing opportunities for me. Before the competition even started I was invited to Johannesburg to participate in a debate panel at the International Football Village. At first I thought I was just going to be involved in a discussion with many people and I was surprised and honored when I was told that I had my very own topic to cover. I was surrounded by the opposite gender and loved it, because my topic was something I feel very passionate about: “Women in a man’s world”. Being a woman and a soccer coach in my community, I have tried to make a difference by using the opportunities and strengths that soccer has to empower younger women and girls. I really enjoyed being part of this experience and sharing my passion. I believe true blessings come when we least expect them. This I again realized when I was given an opportunity to meet the wonderful and caring Mr. Wille Lemke (the UN Special Advisor on Sport for Development and Peace), who was on the debate panel with me. We had a long conversation, about sharing the experiences of the work we do, but it was not nearly enough. He told me about a project that he is working on with African leaders, and that I was one of them. One of his suggestions for me was to learn how to speak German. When I got home after my trip I sent e-‐mails to friends and colleagues asking for any help to learn German, because I realized the opportunities that could come with learning to speak another language. About a week later, I received an e-‐mail that I have been given a scholarship to go to German classes at the Goethe institute in Cape Town. This is really amazing, because opportunities like these are very rare for someone coming from a community like Khayelitsha in Cape Town. I made a promise that I will do my best to take away all I could and to really challenge my abilities through this opportunity. (Continued on page 3)
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(Continued from page 2 ) While I was still processing this all and on this amazing journey I heard that Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor was coming to visit our program In Harare, Khayelitsha. This is where I work every day, coaching U14 girl’s soccer teams and teaching them the skills they need to survive and grow. I could not believe that Angela Merkel was going to be at my program and in my community. She arrived with our Premier Helen Zille and many journalists. I then had the opportunity to sit next to her and tell her about my program and myself. I felt a spirit and power of what woman can do while sitting with her and sharing with her. This is a spirit and power that I will carry and spread through my community. When I thought nothing more could happen, I then heard that Mr. Lemke and Dr. Eisenblatter (International Director of the GTZ), was coming to Cape Town and would visit our organization’s Holiday program in Gugulethu. I couldn't wait to see him again. When we met he invited me to join him at the Netherlands vs. Uruguay match at the Green Point stadium in a VIP suite. This was a very emotional moment, out of all the people he could have asked, he thought of me. The feeling at the stadium was incredible. Mr. Lemke introduced me to many interesting people. One was a very amazing lady, Dagmar Brandenstein from Germany, who I found as a great inspiration and what I would call “a woman of influence in a man’s world". I wish I could have spent more time with her to talk and learn about her work, because I found her very inspiring. One other thrilling experience I will forever cherish is sitting one row in front of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, South African President Jacob Zuma, Mr. Irvin Khoza, and Prince William from Holland and his wife. This night was so full of surprises. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Prince William came up to me, took both my hands in his hands, and thanked me for supporting his team. Again I was speechless. Late that night I was still shaking with excitement. I wanted to make it last forever. I wanted to break it into pieces and take it back and share it amongst the children and other people in my community who also longed to be at the stadium and feel the World Cup thrill. This day was a tremendous day of my life. A day truly filled with joy and excitement. I feel that this was granted by the Dear Lord, through Mr. Lemke, and our program partners the GTZ. I can't thank you all enough for all you have done for me. One way I will show my appreciation is by working in our communities to empower other people to have the same opportunities as me. Through empowering my young girls, being a positive role model, and planting positive behavior change I can really make a difference in my community and in South Africa. The work I'm doing has been a god sent experience. I am truly doing what I love. Soccer has been a precious part of my life and is a powerful tool for me to teach young girls. I see the joy in their faces when they are given a platform to show their skills, express their feelings, learn and give. This is the same feeling I have working with them and guiding them in their lives. On a soccer pitch is where I feel free and happy. Many Thanks, Wewe Nomawethu Sokoyi – Soccer 4 Hope Life Skills Manager
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Hoops Zim Leaves Message of Hope Written By Ngoni Mukukula In early June, the H4H Strike Team was fresh from the Eastern Highlands of Mutare, where they left a message of good hope. The welcome in Mutare on Saturday the 5th of June 2010 was thunderous as the Hoops 4 Hope Strike Team was met and introduced by Mutare Girls High School Captain, School Peer Leader, teachers and the All Star Manager and volunteers. The team went to work right away, entertaining and teaching 91 passionate students. The Strike Team reached the top of their game quickly because the participants were a good mix. See, to get the best out of the H4H Strike Team is easy. Here is the recipe: Take energy filled participants and mix that with zeal, good environment and good weather. Then add a dose of participant numbers and mix that together. The result is the best fuel ever, discovered to drive the Strike Team. However, with this recipe I have to constantly remind them to go easy on the pedal. This was the atmosphere in Mutare... simply electric! The number of the participants kept growing as other students started joining as soon as they heard the cheers. Life at a boarding school can be quiet and no one wants to pass on a chance to mix, mingle and have fun. A total number of 118 boys and girls attended the Girls High School Camp in the end. It was a great crowd and the Strike Team did not disappoint. Martin and Forward stole the show at the Girls High with their energy. The most popular song was the “..tion ... tion” song. Every word mentioned in the song must end with “.. tion”. The song goes, ' auya ma tion... tion. (here comes the ... tion ... tion song) Ma election, corruption, intimidation, discrimination, correction and education, etc. The rest of the song is just creativity where participants throw in favorite words. The youths were crazy for this song. Norest ran the “I am at Risk” Life Skills lesson. It was very popular due to its action and participatory nature. The H4H Strike Team also ran a quick basketball session after the life skills. Then it was time to donate a few basketball items, ranging from shoes, vests and balls. In the afternoon, the team was then taken away to another venue about 30 KM away in Dangamvura. There, we met with some of the most down to earth, poor kids anyone can ever meet. Close to 100 kids had waited for the Strike Team eagerly. This crowd was made of kids that come from the underprivileged communities of Mutare. This is the kind of group that gave Hoops 4 Hope our last name -‐ Hope. Duncan Shenje and Menard ran away with Dangamvura show. The team finished off by donating a lot of clothes and shoes and balls. We received a nice thank you from one of the female participants. She said their dream was to play against teams from the advantaged communities. 'With this kind of support maybe one day we may beat them' she said. From there it was time to wind down and return to Harare. Thanks again Hoops Intl. for the great support. Be blessed Ngoni Hoops Zim
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HOLIDAY PROGRAMS IN ACTION: Cape Town!
MVP Olwethu Joins Exchange Program in US! From Thursday, July 15th to Thursday, July 22nd 2010, Soccer 4 Hope MVP Olwethu Mavuso joined more than forty youth from around the world as the youngsters descended on Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont for Miracle Corners of the World’s 13th Annual Youth Leadership Retreat. The retreat aimed to work with youth to identify challenges in their communities and to visualize goals and plans to make a difference. “Once again, we have aimed to create a comprehensive and creative program that will challenge the group, but also ensure that they have a good and interactive time,” said Yasmin Elachi, the retreat coordinator. This year’s participants, 16 to 21, included American, Bosnian, British, Chinese, Indian, Israeli, Italian, Kenyan, Kyrgyzstani, Nigerian, Palestinian, Rwandan, Somali, South African, Tanzanian, and Zambian youth. More than a dozen of the participants had participated in past youth retreats and returned as “mentors.” The retreat presented a chance for each participant to prepare a “vision plan,” which identifies a specific challenge in their community, such as the lack of after school programs for high-‐school students or limited oral healthcare, and the concrete steps that the participant can take to address the challenge. It also provided an opportunity for the participants to share the creative social justice work they do in their own communities, learn from each other, and build a global network of support. Congratulations, Olwethu, for sharing your ideas and being part of a powerful group to create change!
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Soccer 4 Hope appeared on Fox News in early July! Below, MVP Olwethu Mavuso (far left) , WeWe Sokoyi (near left), and other S4H players met German Chancellor Merkel!
Copyright 2010, The Associated Press German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, meets with children and teenagers in the Township Khayelitsha near Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday, July 3, 2010. Chancellor Merkel is in South Africa to visit the World Cup soccer match Germany versus Argentina at the Green Point Stadium later on Saturday. (AP Photo/ddp, Oliver Lang)
Hoops 4 Hope & Soccer 4 Hope are leaders in providing sustainable and innovative programs for the empowerment and positive change of youth in disadvantaged communities through basketball and soccer based education, health, and skills for life programs in southern Africa.
Molly Blair, Director of Development
Hoops 4 Hope 34 Grove St. #1 NY, NY 10014 Mobile: 917.414.0810 Email: moblair28@gmail.com
Rick Gill, Canadian Director Hoops 4 Hope Unit #18 - 6195 168 St. Surrey, B.C. Canada V3S-3X9 Mobile: (778) 836-5114 Email: gill_rick@sd36.bc.ca
Mark Crandall, International Director and Founder Hoops 4 Hope Po Box 895 East Hampton, NY 11937 Mobile: 631.774.0571 Email: hoops4hope@mac.com
Thierry Kita, South African Director Hoops 4 Hope PO Box 165 Cape Town, South Africa 8000 Mobile: (27) 82-728-9109 Email: thierrykitam@mac.com
Ngoni Mukukula, Zimbabwean Director Hoops 4 Hope 19 Bates Street Milton Park, Harare Mobile: (263)(91) 240-4067 Email: nmukukula@yahoo.com