empowerment programme
Nemato Change a Life empowers youth in Nelson Mandela Township. We want to change the
mindset, improve the skills and knowledge, and guide all our athletes individually in education
and career to become successful in life. We are delighted when our athletes win in sport,
but our programme is only successful when our athletes win in life!
1. Mindset
wanting to win in life
The most important part of our programme is to work on the mindset: commitment and dedication,
wanting to be successful and willingness to work hard for it. Take your future in your own hands,
don't sit and wait for hand-outs from government and charity. Competitive sport helps to achieve this mindset.
We try to approach everything in our programme in a way to encourage this mindset. This includes:
Selection for competition and other special events is not based on success in sport, but on attendance and commitment. We keep track of attendance at all sessions.
We encourage self initiative and taking responsibility. The members own the clubs. With only one exception, it is all members who grew up the the organisation who run it.
We reward athletes who take up tasks and activities by themselves without being asked, and who look after the clubs and contribute to make
it a success. Every month we reward the most active athlete in each club. On Youth Day (June 16) we have our annual awards event.
2. Homework Class
daily classes for basic literacy and maths, and for homework support
Education in our townships is at a very low level. In an attempt to improve the school results,
we offer five times per week homework classes. All our athletes have to attend the classes.
Besides homework, we focus a lot on basic mathematics and literacy.
3. Food Fund
year round daily feeding programme to improve health and growth of body and mind
Offering an after school programme from 15:30 till 20:00 with sport and homework lessons
is impossible without a meal. Our club doctor and the Eastern Cape Academy of Sport noticed
clean signs of mall nutrition in our athletes. This is not surprising. In many houses there
is often no food and hardly any family can afford to buy a well balanced diet for the children.
To address this issue we offer a well balanced healthy meal every day and athletes can help
themselves with Morevite (instant porige) any time they are hungry. Funding for the feeding
programme comes from Change a Life, Port Alfred Soup Kitchen and from donations!
Support Nemato Food Fund!!!
Please donate: FNB, Port Alfred, account: Nemato Food Fund, account number: 6223 335 8143.
4. President's Award
international youth programme with community service, skills, sport and adventurous journey
The Award Programme was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1956 as The Duke of Edinburgh's
Award. The aim was to motivate young people to become involved in a balanced programme of
voluntary self-development activities. Today, the Award Programme is operated in more than 120
countries, in South Africa as the
President's Award. The activities include sport, skills
development, community service and an adventourage journey at bronze, silver and gold level.
Nemato runs the programme for its athletes. From the age of 15 they can participate.
5. Career counselling
career counselling to find study, job or business opportunities for each member
With the help of the Rhodes Career Centre we try to assist every member to find suitable
further education or skills training and we guide them trough the education or training.
We also look for business and job opportunities for the athletes.
6. Hiv/Aids Awareness
athletes group promoting hiv/aids awareness
Some Nemato Change a Life members started an Hiv/Aids awareness group. They try to inform
all the athletes and influence their behaviour to avoid the spread of Hiv/Aids. In cooperation
with our volunteer club doctor we also want to offer Hiv testing. The programme also includes
prevention of violence, crime, and alcohol and drugs abuse.
7. Computers, Internet, Library
access to computers, internet and books for learning, entertainment and connecting to the world
Our office offers the athletes computers and internet access. For most athletes this is the
only place where they can use computers. Learning goes by playing and helping each other.
Sometimes we offer short courses or we help when needed. Internet is very exciting. It not
only helps a lot with homework, buts also grows the world of our athletes from just our small
isolated township to the entire world. The guys are chatting all around the world. Our office
also has a small library with books. Not many people read books in our township. With books
and newspapers we try to encourage reading.
8. See the World
offer youth a chance to see the world with trips around the country and when possible abroad
The world is very small when you grow up in our townships. There is nothing happening here except
alcohol, drugs, fighting and unsafe sex. You don't go on holiday and you don't to places to
experience the beauty of our country and to see that there is a better life waiting for you. We
are offering as many trips as we can afford to see 'the world'. We select athletes for these trips
to reward for good attendance and positive contributions to the club.
