New Diepsloot Safe-Hub to positively impact young lives
DIEPSLOOT- Little pupils of Muzomuhle Primary School in Diepsloot have been given a first-hand opportunity to practise their sports, arts and life skills at the newly launched Safe-Hub which is an artificial football field, a first of its kind in Johannesburg, on their school's premises on 3 February.
This thanks to Tsogo Sun’s Montecasino as part of its CSI initiative, and Amandla EduFootball in collaboration with the Oliver Kahn Foundation, as they cut the red ribbon to officially open the artificial football field to the pupils.
General manager of Montecasino, Glenn Joseph said, “The primary school was chosen as the ideal site for the Safe-Hub as we have been working with the school offering various programmes for more than four years.
“The school governing body has always been positive and enthusiastic about our involvement and they welcomed the opportunity to increase their contribution to the children of the community by providing the premises for the Safe-Hub.
“The school is also the biggest and oldest in Diepsloot, with more than 2 300 pupils from Grades R to 7, and it is in a central location, making it accessible to young people from all over Diepsloot.”
The Safe-Hub is the third in the country, as one is in Khayelitsha and the other on the premises of the Gugulethu Comprehensive High School, which is open to community members of Gugulethu and Manenberg, in Cape Town.
Research has shown that the introduction of these Safe-Hubs has resulted in a 44 percent reduction in crime and violence in the Western Cape Safe-Hub catchment areas and a 49 percent improvement in mathematics and English school results.
Amandla is an international non-profit organisation and founder of the internationally acclaimed Safe-Hub model. Its aim is to create safe spaces that bring together the power of football and learning to empower youth and to change lives. The Safe-Hubs provide a comprehensive, integrated set of youth development services in collaboration with the local community, using football as the key driver of engagement and retention.
Florian Zech, Founder of Amandla EduFootball said, “Our experience and research tells us that we cannot achieve a sustainable impact in marginalised communities without in-depth collaboration. The ability to bring together partners from all sectors allows us to create lasting change among our youth and communities, and today marks the first exciting step on this journey.”
This initiative plans to play a role in changing the lives of children in the deeply impoverished area of Diepsloot, where it is estimated that about 70 percent of the community’s population lives below the poverty line and about 60 percent are unemployed.
Joseph said, “Diepsloot is on our doorstep, it is home to many of our staff members and is a focus area for many of our CSI initiatives. The Safe-Hub will provide a safe environment for positive development, fun, and stimulating activities for children and young people.”
The new Safe-Hub will offer a wide set of youth development activities, and will incorporate a range of existing programmes that Montecasino is already running in several schools in Diepsloot. These include athletics, chess and arts.
Details: www.tsogosun.com
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