Roger Federer and Siya Kolisi rally for children’s future — serving hope, changing lives [VIDEO]

Roger Federer has always been a champion on and off the tennis court. Renowned for his elegance and ability to defy expectations, the Swiss tennis legend made the impossible look easy with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name.

Now, after hanging up his racquet, Federer is channelling his remarkable skill for overcoming obstacles into something even more meaningful — transforming the future of South Africa’s education system. With a new focus on early childhood development, Federer aims to ensure that every child in South Africa has access to quality learning opportunities.

📖A new purpose beyond tennis

At 43 and happily retired, Federer recently shared his vision for South Africa’s children at a breakfast event in Johannesburg. He was speaking on behalf of his Roger Federer Foundation.

Federer urged local leaders to ensure every child has access to early childhood development services by 2030, highlighting the importance of education for all, ATPTOUR reported.

“It’s a joyful experience to walk into vibrant classrooms filled with children learning, reading, and playing. Children everywhere should be allowed to do this,” Federer said during his speech. “Witnessing them grow into nurses, teachers, and computer programmers fills me with hope.”

🎾Federer’s serve for success

Federer, a former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings with 103 tour-level titles, drew a powerful connection between his tennis career and philanthropic work.

“I worked tirelessly to achieve success in tennis. It demanded much from me, but I was fortunate to have guidance and opportunities. That’s what I want to provide for others, a chance for growth and success,” said Federer, whose mother is from Kempton Park in Johannesburg.”

🏉Siya Kolisi teams up with Federer to champion upliftment

Federer was joined by Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who co-founded the Kolisi Foundation with similar poverty upliftment goals. Kolisi said that having someone like Federer, who didn’t grow up on the streets of South Africa, doing this kind of work inspires him to do more, talk more, and bring more people here.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer. The people of South Africa have helped me. I have to give back to South Africa. It’s essential that we all do this kind of work to uplift communities,” he added.

Kolisi said that children should be reminded of where they come from. They should know that I come from the same background as them. The responsibility comes to me. What am I doing to ensure the racquet is there for the kid? What am I doing to ask Roger and say, Roger, listen? These kids are interested in tennis; how can we ensure what they need is there?

“I will continue to go back home. I want to sit and talk with these kids to tell them it looks difficult now. It doesn’t look possible, but it is possible.”

Watch Kolisi and Federer talking about their work here:

🌍Federer Foundation’s global reach

Founded in 2003, the Roger Federer Foundation has significantly impacted multiple countries, including Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Switzerland. Its mission? To empower communities through education.

📚Focus on early learning
With a strong emphasis on early childhood education, the foundation equips teachers with a tablet-based system. This provides essential knowledge and tools to enhance teaching. It also mobilises parents and communities, encouraging active involvement in children’s learning journeys.

🌱Advocating for SDG 4.2
The Roger Federer Foundation is also a staunch advocate for Sustainable Development Goal 4.2. The goal is to ensure that by 2030, all children, regardless of gender, have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education to be school-ready. This vision is pursued at the governmental and global levels.

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